by Rich Kienzle
Nusser, Richard, and Patrick Carr. “George Jones: Problems, Problems, Problems.” Country Music (December 1975): 30–34, 59.
Parker, Melissa. “George Jones Interview: Country Icon on His Country Crossing Involvement and Latest Recording.” Smashing Interviews (January 21, 2010).
Plowman, Pepi. “A Singin’ Fool.” Texas Monthly (June 1982): 145–149, 232–239.
Tucker, Ken. “Brad Paisley, Mel Tillis and Other Grand Ole Opry Stars Honor George Jones.” Billboard, April 28, 2013.
Tosches, Nick. “The Devil in George Jones.” Texas Monthly (July 1994).
Wynette, Tammy. “The George Jones Interview.” Country Music (June 1980): 32–40.
LINER NOTES
Brown, Andrew. Benny Barnes: Poor Man’s Riches: The Complete 1950s Recordings (Bear Family Records, 2007).
. Eddie Noack: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Complete 1950s Recordings (Bear Family Records, 2012).
. Sonny Burns: A Real Cool Cat: The Starday Recordings (Bear Family Records, 2011).
Escott, Colin. George Jones: Cup of Loneliness: The Mercury Years (Polygram Records, 1994).
Jones Sings Haggard, Haggard Sings Jones: Kickin’ Out the Footlights . . . Again! (Bandit Records, 2006).
Kienzle, Rich. George Jones: A Good Year for the Roses: The Complete Musicor Recordings: 1965–1971, part 2 (Bear Family Records, 2009).
. George Jones: Heartbreak Hotel: Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight (Bear Family Records, 2011).
. George Jones: She Thinks I Still Care: The Complete United Artists Recordings: 1962–1964 (Bear Family Records, 2007).
. George Jones: Walk Through This World with Me: The Complete Musicor Recordings: 1965–1971, part 1 (Bear Family Records, 2009).
GOVERNMENT RECORDS
Beaumont, Texas, City Directories, 1954–1956.
National Park Service, Big Thicket National Preserve (http://www.nps.gov/bith/index.htm).
US Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Schedule 1920, Hardin County, Texas.
US Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Schedule 1930, Hardin County, Texas.
US Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Schedule 1940, Hardin County, Texas.
US Marine Corps Personnel Records, 1952–1953.
BILLBOARD ARTICLES
“A Great Artist Now Exclusively on United Artists” advertisement. February 24, 1962: 9.
“BMI Certificate of Achievement.” November 14, 1959: 19.
“Favorite Male Artists of C&W (Disc) Jockeys.” November 9, 1959.
“15th Annual Country Music Disc Jockey Poll.” November 10, 1962.
“First Release Is a Socko Starter on Mercury Starday: ‘Don’t Stop the Music’ and ‘Uh Uh No.’” February 3, 1957: 33.
“Folk Talent & Tunes.” May 4, 1959: 95.
Friedman, Joel. “Folk Talent & Tunes.” March 27, 1954: 33.
. “Folk Talent & Tunes.” January 23, 1954.
“Hold Everything: George Jones” review. May 14, 1955.
“Hot on Starday,” “Why Baby Why” advertisement. November 12, 1955: 118.
“Jackie Young Murder Victim.” December 11, 1965.
“Jones, Owens Featured in Neal Package.” May 9, 1964: 18.
“Mercury Staging Singles Hype.” July 27, 1959: 2, 46.
“Musicor Contract Pits RCA vs. Epic in Releasing Geo. Jones.” January 15, 1972: 3, 8.
“Review Spotlight: ‘Don’t Stop the Music.’” January 19, 1957.
“Review Spotlight: ‘Flame in My Heart with Virginia Spurlock.’” February 1, 1957.
“Reviews of New C&W Records.” September 25, 1954: 58.
Sachs, Bill. “Folk Talent & Tunes.” December 29, 1962: 18.
“This Week’s Best Buys: ‘Why Baby Why’” review. October 29, 1955: 48.
“UA Adds Classical, Now Full Circle.” August 18, 1962: 5.
Waddell, Ray. “George Jones: The Billboard Interview (2006).” April 26, 2013.
“What Am I Worth” and “Still Hurtin’” review. January 4, 1956.
“What Am I Worth” and “Why Baby Why” advertisement. February 4, 1956.
“‘Y’All Come’ by Arlie Duff” advertisement. December 19, 1953.
VIDEOS
George Jones and Tammy Wynette. “Milwaukee Here I Come.” The Wilburn Brothers Show, 1969.
George Jones and Tammy Wynette. Commercial for Badcock Home Furnishing Centers, c. 1971–72.
Telecast, CMA Awards, 1981.
George Jones. “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?” Music video, 1985.
George Jones: Same Ole Me: The Authorized Video Biography DVD (White Star Video), 1989.
George Jones. “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair.” Music video, 1992.
Country Music Hall of Fame Induction, CMA Awards, 1992.
George Jones. Country Gold Dog Food Commercial, c. 1990s.
The George Jones Show, episode 6. Guests: Loretta Lynn, Sara Evans, Billy Ray Cyrus (Nashville Network, 1998).
The George Jones Show, episode 7. Guests: Merle Haggard, Trace Adkins, Lorrie Morgan (Nashville Network, 1998).
The George Jones Show, episode 8. Guests: Little Jimmy Dickens, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless (Nashville Network, 1998).
George Jones family. Commercial for George Jones Country Sausage, October 2003.
George Jones: 50 Years of Hits (PBS Soundstage Special Event), 2004.
Kennedy Center Honors, featuring Laura Bush, Brad Paisley, Randy Travis, and Alan Jackson, 2008.
Audience videos of George’s concert appearances during the final tour, 2012–2013.
Nancy Jones. WZTV Nashville interview, April 29, 2013.
George Jones Funeral Coverage, May 2–3, 2013: Laura Bush eulogy; Charlie Daniels, “Softly and Tenderly”; Vince Gill and Patty Loveless, “Go Rest High on That Mountain”; Alan Jackson, “He Stopped Loving Her Today”; Bob Schieffer, comments, CBS News This Morning; Bob Schieffer eulogy.
Bob Schieffer, comments on CBS News This Morning, May 3, 2013.
PHOTO SECTION
The young troubadour in downtown Beaumont, Texas, 1943. Russell D. Barnard Collection at Southern Folklife Collection, University of North Carolina
A publicity shot from the mid-1950s. Russell D. Barnard Collection at Southern Folklife Collection, University of North Carolina
Left to right: Booking agent Hal Smith, George, and Pappy Daily in 1956. Elmer Williams/Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum/Getty Images
Songwriter Darrell Edwards, George, and Galveston singer Fidio Eriksen in 1958. Courtesy of Kevin Coffey
Onstage with the Jones Boys in the mid-1960s. Russell D. Barnard Collection at Southern Folklife Collection, University of North Carolina
The George-Melba Bluegrass Hootenanny sessions, mid-January 1964. Left to right: Ray Walker, Pappy Daily, George (playing Melba’s guitar), Tommy Jackson, unknown, Curtis McPeake (banjo), Pig Robbins (piano), Bob Moore (bass). Russell D. Barnard Collection at Southern Folklife Collection, University of North Carolina
George and Tammy with Little Richard, George’s favorite rock ’n’ roll singer, early 1970s. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Hangin’ with Tammy and Nudie Cohn at Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors in LA, May 26, 1973. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Mr. and Mrs. Country Music with Billy Sherrill, 1970s. Russell D. Barnard Collection at Southern Folklife Collection, University of North Carolina
Looking the worse for wear, George with Emmylou Harris backstage at the Palomino in LA, February 1981. Jasper Dailey/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Onstage at Harrah’s Metropolis, Metropolis, Illinois, June 2002. Wikimedia/Secisek
Kennedy Center Honors, December 6, 2008. Left to right, standing: Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, George; seated: Twyla Tharp, Morgan Freeman, Barbra Streisand. Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images
George and Nancy at his eightieth birthday party, September 13, 2011. Rick Diamond/Getty Images
; The shrine at Woodlawn Memorial Park, Nashville. Courtesy of George Fletcher
The marker. Courtesy of George Fletcher
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Veteran country music critic, journalist, and historian RICH KIENZLE is the author of Southwest Shuffle: Pioneers of Honky-Tonk, Western Swing, and Country Jazz and Great Guitarists: The Most Influential Players in Blues, Country Music, Jazz and Rock. A contributing editor and columnist at Country Music magazine for nearly twenty-five years, he also edited their history publication The Journal. He was formerly a contributing editor at No Depression and Guitar World and is now a regular contributor to Vintage Guitar Magazine. His work has appeared in Fretboard Journal, Guitar Player, Request, The Journal of Country Music and the Austin American-Statesman. The author of liner notes for almost four hundred reissue albums, Kienzle is among the few country journalists profiled in The Grove Dictionary of American Music. He received the International Country Music Conference’s Charlie Lamb Award for Excellence in Country Music Journalism in 2012.
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CREDITS
Cover design by Amanda Kain
Cover photograph © 1980 Charlyn Zlotnik
COPYRIGHT
THE GRAND TOUR. Copyright © 2016 by Rich Kienzle. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
ISBN 978-0-06-230991-4
EPub Edition MARCH 2016 ISBN 9780062309938
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