Born in Texas, Jones first heard country music when he was seven, and was given a guitar at the age of nine. He married his first wife, Dorothy Bonvillion, in 1950, and was divorced in 1951. He served in the United States Marine Corps and was discharged in 1953. He married Shirley Ann Corley in 1954. In 1959, Jones recorded "White Lightning", written by J. P. Richardson, which launched his career as a singer. His second marriage ended in divorce in 1968; he married fellow country music singer Tammy Wynette a year later. Years of alcoholism compromised his health and led to his missing many performances, earning him the nickname "No Show Jones". After his divorce from Wynette in 1975, Jones married his fourth wife, Nancy Sepulvado, in 1983 and became sober for good in 1999. Jones died in 2013, aged 81, from hypoxic respiratory failure.
George Jones has been called "The Rolls Royce Of Country Music" and had more than 160 chart singles to his name from 1955 until his death in 2013. Johnny Cash once said, "When people ask me who my favorite country singer is, I say, 'You mean besides George Jones?'"
Jones tirelessly defended the integrity of country music, telling Billboard in 2006, "It's never been for love of money. I thank God for it because it makes me a living. But I sing because I love it, not because of the dollar signs." Jones also went out of his way to promote younger country singers that he felt were as passionate about the music as he was. "Everybody knows he's a great singer," Alan Jackson stated in 1995, "but what I like most about George is that when you meet him, he is like some old guy that works down at the gas station...even though he's a legend!"
Shortly after Jones' death, Andrew Mueller wrote about his influence in Uncut, "He was one of the finest interpretive singers who ever lifted a microphone...There cannot be a single country songwriter of the last 50-odd years who has not wondered what it might be like to hear their words sung by that voice." In an article for The Texas Monthly in 1994, Nick Tosches eloquently described the singer's vocal style: "While he and his idol, Hank Williams, have both affected generations with a plaintive veracity of voice that has set them apart, Jones has an additional gift—a voice of exceptional range, natural elegance, and lucent tone. Gliding toward high tenor, plunging toward deep bass, the magisterial portamento of his onward-coursing baritone emits white-hot sparks and torrents of blue, investing his poison love songs with a tragic gravity and inflaming his celebrations of the honky-tonk ethos with the hellfire of abandon." In the New Republic essay "Why George Jones ranks with Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday," David Hajdu writes:
"Jones had a handsome and strange voice. His singing was always partly about the appeal of the tones he produced, regardless of the meaning of the words. In this sense, Jones had something in common with singers of formal music and opera, though his means of vocal production were radically different from theirs. He sang from the back of his throat, rather than from deep in his diaphragm. He tightened his larynx to squeeze sound out. He clenched his jaw, instead of wriggling it free. He forced wind through his teeth, and the notes sounded weirdly beautiful."
David Cantwell recalled in 2013, "His approach to singing, he told me once, was to call up those memories and feelings of his own that most closely corresponded to those being felt by the character in whatever song he was performing. He was a kind of singing method actor, creating an illusion of the real." In the liner notes to Essential George Jones: The Spirit of Country Rich Kienzle states, "Jones sings of people and stories that are achingly human. He can turn a ballad into a catharsis by wringing every possible emotion from it, making it a primal, strangled cry of anguish". In 1994, country music historian Colin Escott pronounced, "Contemporary country music is virtually founded on reverence for George Jones. Walk through a room of country singers and conduct a quick poll, George nearly always tops it." In the wake of Jones's death, Merle Haggard pronounced in Rolling Stone, "His voice was like a Stradivarius violin: one of the greatest instruments ever made." Emmylou Harris wrote, "when you hear George Jones sing, you are hearing a man who takes a song and makes it a work of art - always," a quote that appeared on the sleeve of Jones' 1976 album The Battle. In the documentary Same Ole Me, several country music stars offer similar thoughts. Randy Travis: "It sounds like he's lived every minute of every word that he sings and there's very few people who can do that"; Tom T. Hall: "It was always Jones who got the message across just right"; and Roy Acuff: "I'd give anything if I could sing like George Jones". In the same film, producer Billy Sherrill states, "All I did was change the instrumentation around him. I don't think he's changed at all."
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed George Jones among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.
Almost Persuaded
George Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Met a girl with a drink in her hand.
She had ruby red lips, coal black hair
And eyes that would tempt any man.
Then she came and sat down at my table,
And as she placed her soft hands in mine,
I found myself wanting to kiss her
For temptation was flowing like wine.
And I was almost persuaded to strip myself of my pride.
Almost persuaded to push my conscience aside.
Then we danced and she whispered, "I need you!"
"Take me away from here and be my man."
Then I looked into her eyes and I saw it:
The reflection of my wedding band.
And I was almost persuaded to let strange lips lead me on.
Almost persuaded but your sweet love made me stop and go home.
Last night all alone in a barroom
Met a guy with a drink in his hand.
He had bay blue eyes, coal black hair
And a smile that a girl understands.
Then he came and sat down at my table,
And as he placed his hands over mine,
I found my self wanting to kiss him
For temptation was flowing like wine.
And I was almost persuaded to strip myself of my pride.
Almost persuaded to push my conscience aside.
Then we danced and he whispered, "I need you!"
"Let me take you away and be your man."
Then I looked into his eyes and I saw it:
The reflection of my wedding band.
And I was almost persuaded to let strange lips lead me on.
Almost persuaded but your sweet love made me stop and go home.
The song Almost Persuaded by George Jones is a tale about temptation and the power of love. The singer tells a story of meeting a woman in a bar with "ruby red lips, coal black hair, and eyes that would tempt any man." Despite feeling a strong desire to be with her, his conscience and commitment to his wife compel him to resist the temptation. Even though he was almost persuaded to stray from his marriage, the reflection of his wedding band in the woman's eyes reminds him of the consequences of his actions. He ultimately decides to go home to his wife and remain faithful.
The power of temptation is a central theme in Almost Persuaded. The singer is initially drawn to the woman's physical beauty and seductive mannerisms. However, he realizes that giving into temptation would come at a great cost to his marriage and his conscience. Instead, he chooses to resist the temptation and remain committed to his wife. The song highlights the importance of honoring commitments and staying true to one's values, even in the face of temptation.
Overall, George Jones's Almost Persuaded is a touching story about the power of temptation, the strength of commitment, and the importance of staying true to one's values.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night all alone in a barroom
The singer sets the scene of being by himself in a bar.
Met a girl with a drink in her hand.
The singer sees a woman holding a drink.
She had ruby red lips, coal black hair And eyes that would tempt any man.
The singer describes the woman's attractive features.
Then she came and sat down at my table, And as she placed her soft hands in mine, I found myself wanting to kiss her For temptation was flowing like wine.
The artist feels drawn to the woman and desires to be with her.
And I was almost persuaded to strip myself of my pride.
The artist considers giving in to temptation and abandoning their moral principles.
Almost persuaded to push my conscience aside.
The singer thinks about ignoring their sense of right and wrong.
Then we danced and she whispered, 'I need you!' 'Take me away from here and be my man.'
The woman expresses her desire to leave with the singer and be with him.
Then I looked into her eyes and I saw it: The reflection of my wedding band.
The artist realizes that they are married and would be betraying their commitment.
And I was almost persuaded to let strange lips lead me on.
The artist thinks about being unfaithful to their partner.
Almost persuaded but your sweet love made me stop and go home.
The artist ultimately decides not to give in to temptation and thinks about their partner's love for them.
Met a guy with a drink in his hand.
A similar situation happens with the roles reversed and the singer sees a man with a drink.
He had bay blue eyes, coal black hair And a smile that a girl understands.
The artist describes the man's attractive features.
Then he came and sat down at my table, And as he placed his hands over mine, I found my self wanting to kiss him For temptation was flowing like wine.
The singer feels drawn to the man and desires to be with him.
Then we danced and he whispered, 'I need you!' 'Let me take you away and be your man.'
The man expresses his desire to be with the singer.
Then I looked into his eyes and I saw it: The reflection of my wedding band.
The singer realizes that they are married and would be betraying their commitment.
Almost persuaded to let strange lips lead me on.
The artist thinks about being unfaithful to their partner.
Almost persuaded but your sweet love made me stop and go home.
The artist ultimately decides not to give in to temptation and thinks about their partner's love for them.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O CAPASSO
Written by: Billy Sherrill, Glenn Sutton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind