Every Friday around 11 a.m. Central, it’s time for Classic Americana on Radio Heartland. We pull a special track from the archives or from deep in the shelves to spotlight a particular artist or song.

This Thursday, Sept. 12, was the 93rd anniversary of the birth of country singer George Jones, an artist who is among the most notable performers not only in country music history, but in popular music history as well.

Jones was born near the city of Beaumont in east Texas in 1931, and he started busking on the streets of Beaumont as a teenager. Following service in the U.S. Marines, Jones launched his professional music career in Houston, first cracking into the charts with “Why Baby Why” in 1955. It would be the first of many major hits George Jones would enjoy in his long career, producing a discography that includes such memorable songs as “White Lightning,” “A Good Year for the Roses,” “Golden Ring,” and “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”

Jones was also known for his musical partnership — and tumultuous marriage — with fellow country star Tammy Wynette. Following the couple’s divorce and Jones’ further descent into substance use disorder, his career nearly dropped off. But Jones credits his subsequent marriage to Nancy Sepulvado with helping him to straighten out his finances and to get sober. His career rebounded, and he enjoyed a resurgence in the 1980s that saw him resume touring, recording, and hitmaking.

For our Classic Americana pick this week, we’re featuring George Jones’ No. 1 hit from 1962, “She Thinks I Still Care.” Reflecting on this song in his 1996 biography I Lived To Tell It All, Jones wrote, “For years after I recorded it, the song was my most requested, and it became what people in my business call a ‘career record,’ the song that firmly establishes your identity with the public.” 

The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

Among George Jones’ many honors is his 1992 induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. George Jones died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville on April 26, 2013, at the age of 81.

Classic Americana Playlist

External Links

George Jones – official site

George Jones – Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum