George Jones
Texas native George Jones is perhaps the finest vocalist in the history of country music (and one of the most notorious.) His melodic baritone evolved from his early honky-tonk recordings such as "Why Baby Why" and "White Lightning" to a multi-layered countrypolitan crooner with the spectacular "He Stopped Loving Her Today" and "The Grand Tour." He was a regular performer on the Louisiana Hayride and joined the Grand Old Opry in 1956 and began his long and illustrious career, with hit after hit rolling in. Jones scored 17 Top Tens between 1965 and 1970. His marriage to Tammy Wynette was the stuff of legends; his battle with addictions even more so. Yet Jones still cranked out the hits, both solo and with on- again/off-again wife Wynette.
Jones' last Top Ten hit was his cover of Johnny Horton's "One Woman Man,", as young country started to dominate radio. But it was in 1999, after a violent car accident which almost took his life and resulted in an arrest for DWI and serious rehab, that Jones came back strong with the powerful Cold Hard Truth. He's been recording ever since, including The Rock: Stone Cold Country in 2001 and 2005's Hits I Missed... And One I Didn't.
Previous Grammy Wins:
- Best Country Vocal Performance, Male - "He Stopped Loving Her Today" - 1980
- Best Country Vocal Performance, Male - "Choices" - 1999
Current Grammy Nominations:
- Best Country Vocal Performance, Male - "Funny How Time Slips Away"
(Bio Courtesy of Kathy Coleman)