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.
if not for you
George Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If any compliments are paid to me
If any praises I receive for anything that I achieve
I'll never rightfully belong to you.
For when I wonder you convinced me that I could
Knowing you depended on me proved I should
And in your mind you never doubted that I would
I see admiration in your eyes
And I believe you think I hung the moon
And if I fail like other men or find the will to try again
But anything I am begins with you.
For when I wonder you convinced me that I could
Knowing you depended on me proved I should
And in your mind you never doubted that I would
But what would I do (what would I do) if nor for you.
What would I do (what would I do) if nor for you
The lyrics to George Jones's song, If Not For You, are a declaration of appreciation and gratitude to someone who has been instrumental in making the singer who he is. The song speaks about how the singer is aware that any achievements, compliments, and praises he receives are not his own doing, but have been made possible by the support and belief of the person being addressed in the song. The singer acknowledges that this person has always believed in him, convinced him that he could do things he might have doubted he could do, and has depended on him, which in turn has given him the motivation to strive and work hard.
The singer also accepts that the admiration and support he has received from this person has made him believe that he could hang the moon, and even though he might sometimes fail, he knows that within him, it all begins with the support of this special person. The song reflects the importance of having someone believed in and supported us, which in turn, influence our journey in life.
Line by Line Meaning
If anything I am or hope to be
I acknowledge that everything I am or hope to be is due to your influence and support.
If any compliments are paid to me
Any compliments I receive are ultimately owed to you.
If any praises I receive for anything that I achieve
If I am praised for anything I achieve, it is because of you and your belief in me.
I'll never rightfully belong to you.
While I owe my success to you, I recognize that I am my own person and cannot be owned by anyone.
For when I wonder you convinced me that I could
In moments of doubt, you have always been there to remind me of my capability.
Knowing you depended on me proved I should
The fact that you depended on me gave me the motivation to succeed.
And in your mind you never doubted that I would
Your unwavering confidence in me has been a driving force in my success.
But what would I do (what would I do) if not for you.
Without your influence and support, I would not be where I am today.
I see admiration in your eyes
Your admiration for me is evident and appreciated.
And I believe you think I hung the moon
I understand that you hold me in high esteem and believe in my abilities to achieve great things.
And if I fail like other men or find the will to try again
If I experience failure or setbacks, I know you will be there to encourage me to keep trying.
But anything I am begins with you.
I recognize that my success would not be possible without you and everything you have done for me.
What would I do (what would I do) if nor for you.
Once again, I acknowledge that my success is due to your influence and support.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Beemer Scoot
HOLY MOLY! From the very first two words “If anything” the phrasing and notes tell you this is not a human being…. this is George Jones!
Raymond Arthur
OUTSTANDING performance ON THIS GREAT SONG.
joanna lerat
Beautiful Song!! God be with you!!, R.I.P. George Jones!! we'll miss you!!!!
Pamela Rasmussen
This is always been one of my favorite George Jones songs. I still have the 45.
Terry Rakes
Me too
Sator v Victor
@Linda Parks ,,,,,
Linda Parks
I have it on vinyl 👍
IIFIREX
Lol
29johnnyzl
George Jones has taken these words from my heart ... and made a beautiful song to remind me of how grateful I am to a Special Person ... Rosa ... thank you ... 5 stars***** and more
Sarah Murphy
The incomparable George Jones!