Living and dying with the choices he made

Country music legend George Jones passed through the swinging doors of heaven last week.

George Jones, Photo bingimages.com

The May 2nd service is being telecast live from the Grand Ole Opry on CMT and GAC 

at 10am CT. and will also be streamed on the Grand Ole Opry website, and 

on live audio on XM Satellite Radio "Willie's Roadhouse" Ch 56.

George, known for his hard partying ways the first 50 years of his life, he actually lived his last three decades striving to maintain sobriety, and with more strength and character than many thought him capable of. His last marriage to wife Nancy, lasted 30 years.

It's inspiring to be reminded that one can get lost and find themselves again later in life and it can "stick". I'll bet this meant much more to him than the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award he received not long ago.

George and Tammy Wynette....bingimages.com

The voice of George Jones was one of my first introductions to country music, through his duets with his wife at the time Tammy Wynette. Their melodic stories of love, longing, lost dreams, and hope floated through the house out of my parents' cabinet console stereo.....We're Gonna Hold On, was my favorite.

"If we all could sound like we wanted to, we'd all sound like George Jones"....Waylon Jennings

During his dark years he almost lost his career from setting concert dates and repeatedly not showing up. He ended this chapter and all was forgiven.

I've had the chance to work with many artists, but not George Jones. My only encounter was once when driving through Nashville back in '99 after attending "Fan Fair" my sister and I saw an SUV pass by with the license plate NO SHOW...."That's George Jones," I told her!....so we sped up and sure enough it was....we honked and waved he looked over and smiled and waved back...we giggled and whooped at our fleeting encounter with a country icon right there in Nashville.

George Jones performs "Choices"...Grand Ole Opry

 

A lot of people don't know that George Jones and Tammy Wynette's daughter, Georgette Jones, is also a talented vocalist.....George and Georgette sing beautifully together in their father/daughter duet.."You and Me and Time". You can her the love in his voice for his daughter. 

Rest in Peace, "Possum."

Copyright...Anna Wendt 2013