Even at half strength, George Jones shows why he’s a legend

Jerry Fink

Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007 | 7:43 a.m.

George "No - Show" Jones made it to Texas Station on Friday night, but his voice wasn't all there.

Perhaps he was a victim of the dreaded "Las Vegas throat," a malady brought about by the dry desert air. Many singers suffer from it. He seemed bothered much of the evening, often grasping his neck when he turned away from a crowd that was solidly behind him, even if he wasn't 100 percent.

Or maybe age is catching up with the 76-year-old legend of country music. He complained once during the near - sell-out performance that he no longer could hit the low notes.

But half of George Jones is twice as good as most of today's singers, who can only dream of possessing the talent of the man who has been turning out hits for more than 50 years.

"I might stay here till 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning," Jones told the fans, who exploded with applause. "There was a time I'd a stayed here for two or three days."

It would take him that long to sing all the songs that have made him a legend and got him elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992 - if he sang non stop.

Jones didn't carry the show by himself. His band, the Jones Boys, was phenomenal as it warmed up the audience with numbers by artists such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Waylon Jennings.

And there were newcomers Britney Allen and Jason Byrd. Each sang solos that hint at bright futures. Allen did a nice job with Martina McBride's "I'll Be There," among other songs. She sang the late Tammy Wynette's part in the duet "Take Me," a 1972 hit for Wynette and Jones, who were married from 1969 to 19 75.

Byrd performed Merle Haggard's "Working Man Blues" and stood in for The Hagg on a duet with The Possum in "Yesterday's Wine."

But the evening belonged to Jones, who waltzed his way through memorable tunes, leading off with his first Top 5 hit , "Why, Baby, Why," which put him on the map in 1955.

Jones looks like anything but a superstar - no rhinestones, no tassels, no leather, no torn jeans. Slap a name tag on his off-white, short-sleeve sport shirt and he could be a Wal-Mart manager. He's a common man with uncommon talent and can be forgiven for taking a commercial break in the middle of the show to hawk his sausage and his water (George Jones' White Lightning Tennessee Sipping Water - named for his first No. 1 hit, 1959's "White Lightning").

The one-time hard drinker joked about his boozing and the near-fatal car accident in 1999 that inspired him to give up alcohol and cigarettes.

It was a "best of" evening that featured such memorable songs as "The Race Is On" (1968), "I Always Get Lucky With You" (1983) and "The One I Loved Back Then (The Corvette Song)" (1985).

One of the most poignant moments was when he performed his 1985 hit "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes?" As he sang , pictures of some of the greatest performers in country music flashed on the screen, most of them now gone. Haggard, Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn were among those on screen.

Another song that touched everyone was "50,000 Names," which Jones sang "for all the veterans in all the wars."

And of course Jones performed his hit "He Stopped Loving Her Today," considered by many to be the greatest country song of all time.

But the most meaningful song of the evening may have been the one that best describes Jones, his 1992 hit "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair."