Born in the farming community of Niagara in Henderson County, Kentucky, Jones spent his teenage years in Akron, Ohio, where he began singing country music tunes on a radio show on WJW. In 1931, Jones joined the Pine Ridge String Band, which provided the musical accompaniment for the very popular Lum and Abner show. By 1935 his pursuit of a musical career took him to WBZ (AM) radio in Boston, Massachusetts where he met musician/songwriter Bradley Kincaid, who gave him the nickname "Grandpa" because of his off-stage grumpiness at early-morning radio shows. Jones liked the name and decided to create a stage persona based around it. Later in life, he lived in Mountain View, Arkansas.
Performing as Grandpa Jones, he played the guitar or banjo, yodeled, and sang mostly old-time ballads. By 1937, Jones had made his way to West Virginia, where Cousin Emmy taught Jones the art of the clawhammer style of banjo playing, which gave a rough backwoods flavor to his performances. In 1942, Jones joined WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was there that he met fellow Kentuckian Merle Travis. In 1943, they made their recording debuts together for Syd Nathan's upstart King Records. Jones was making records under his own name for King by 1944 and had his first hit with "It's Raining Here This Morning". His recording career was put on hold when he enlisted in the United States Army during World War II. Discharged in 1946, he recorded again for King. In March 1946, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee and started performing on the Grand Ole Opry and married Ramona Riggins on October 14, 1946. As an accomplished performer herself, she would take part in his performances. Jones' vaudeville humor was a bridge to television. His more famous songs include "T For Texas", "Are You From Dixie", "Night Train To Memphis" and "Mountain Dew". He also wrote "Eight More Miles To Louisville".
In 1969, Jones became a charter cast member on the long-running television show Hee Haw, often responding to the show's skits with his trademark phrase "Outrageous". He also played banjo, by himself or with banjo player David "Stringbean" Akeman. A musical segment featured in the early years had Jones and "his lovely wife Ramona" singing while ringing bells held in their hands and feet. A favorite skit had off-camera cast members ask, "Hey Grandpa, what's for supper?" He would describe a delicious, country-style meal ("Buttermilk biscuits smothered in chicken gravy, home-fried potatoes, collard greens and Grandmother's fresh-baked blueberry pie à la mode!" The cast would reply, "Yum, yum!"), though he sometimes would describe something not so good, ("Because you were bad, thawed out TV dinners!" The cast would scoff, "Yuck!") A running gag was a window that he pretended to polish had no glass. Jones would slip his fingers through the empty frame. He also joined Buck Owens, Roy Clark and Kenny Price in a gospel segment at the end of some shows.
A resident of rural Ridgetop, Tennessee outside of Nashville, he was a neighbor and friend of fellow musician David "Stringbean" Akeman. On the morning of November 11, 1973, Jones discovered the bodies of Akeman and his wife, who had been murdered during the night by robbers. Jones testified at the trial of the killers, his testimony helping to secure a conviction. He identified a firearm found in their possession as one he had given to Akeman.
In 1978, Jones was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. His autobiography, Everybody's Grandpa: Fifty Years Behind The Mike was published in 1984 (written with assistance from Charles K. Wolfe).
In early January 1998, Jones suffered two strokes after his second show performance at the Grand Ole Opry. He died at 7:00 p.m. Central Time on February 19, 1998 at the McKendree village Home Health Center in Hermitage, Tennessee, at age 84. He was buried in the Luton Memorial Methodist Church cemetery in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.
Discography
Grandpa Jones Sings His Greatest Hits (1954)
Country Music Hall of Fame Series (1992) MCA
Grandpa Jones & The Brown's Ferry Four 16 Sacred Gospel Songs, King Records
Grandpa Jones Yodeling Hits (1963) Monument
Grandpa Jones Remembers The Brown's Ferry Four (1966) Monument
Singles
1944 "It's Raining Here This Morning"
1946 "Eight More Miles To Louisville"
1947 "Mountain Dew"
1947 "Old Rattler"
1959 "The All-American Boy"
1962 "T for Texas"
1963 "Night Train To Memphis"
Are You From Dixie?
Grandpa Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hello there stranger how do you do
there's something I'd like to say to you
You seem surprised I recognize
I'm no detective but I just surmise
You're from the place I'm longing to be
You're from my homeland my sunny homeland
tell me can it be?
Are you from Dixie I say from Dixie where the fields of
cotton beckon to me
I'm glad to see you tell me I'll be you and the friend
I'm longing to see
Are you from Alabama Tennessee or Caroline
Any place below the Mason Dixon Line
Are you from Dixie I say from Dixie 'cause I'm from Dixie
too.
It was a way back in old '89
When first I crossed that Mason Dixon Line
Gee but again I long to return
To those good old folks I left behind
My home was way down in old Alabam'
On the plantation near Birmingham
and there's one thing certain I'm surely flirtin'
With those southbound trains
"Are You From Dixie" is a nostalgic song that reflects on the singer's love for the southern United States, particularly the states below the Mason Dixon Line. The song starts with the singer recognizing a stranger as being from the place they long to be. They ask the stranger if they are from Dixie, referring to the southern states, and list different states such as Alabama, Tennessee, and Caroline. The singer then expresses their longing to return to their homeland, where the fields of cotton beckon to them, and reunite with their friends and loved ones.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello there stranger how do you do
A greeting to a stranger and a query about their well-being
there's something I'd like to say to you
A request for a moment of the stranger's time
You seem surprised I recognize
An observation that the stranger may be taken aback by being recognized
I'm no detective but I just surmise
An acknowledgement that recognizing someone does not require special skills or training
You're from the place I'm longing to be
A statement that the stranger's appearance suggests they are from a place the singer would like to visit
your smiling face seems to say to me
An interpretation that the stranger's expression conveys a positive message
You're from my homeland my sunny homeland
A declaration that the stranger is from the singer's beloved region
tell me can it be?
A request for confirmation of the stranger's origin
Are you from Dixie I say from Dixie where the fields of cotton beckon to me
A direct question about whether the stranger is from the area the singer is thinking about, with an evocative description of the landscape
I'm glad to see you tell me I'll be you and the friend I'm longing to see
A statement of pleasure at meeting someone from that region, with an offer of friendship
Are you from Alabama Tennessee or Caroline
A request for specifics about the stranger's location within the general region
Any place below the Mason Dixon Line
A broad description of the region the singer is interested in
Are you from Dixie I say from Dixie 'cause I'm from Dixie too.
A statement of the singer's own origin and affinity for Dixie
It was a way back in old '89
A reference to a time in the past
When first I crossed that Mason Dixon Line
An account of a pivotal moment in the singer's life
Gee but again I long to return
An expression of nostalgia and desire
To those good old folks I left behind
A fond recollection of people from the past
My home was way down in old Alabam'
An identification of the singer's home state
On the plantation near Birmingham
A specific location within that state
and there's one thing certain I'm surely flirtin'
An admission of ambivalence, with an implication of interest in the possibility of returning to Dixie
With those southbound trains
A reference to a mode of transportation that could take the singer back to Dixie
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE L. COBB, JACK YELLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MikeKye200
Beautiful in these crazy times.
rather knotty
I think when its given the Country treatment like Grandpa does here, it is Country regardless of its origin.
Vash 97
This song right here is a good one for most southern folks that serve to drink and share our stories from our homes that are so far away, but this song keeps our hearts warm and our minds free and full of hope of home.
Tysto
One thing about Grandpa Jones: he sang the melody. A lot of singers try to twist the melody to turn a song into something it's not.
Nose and Dirty Will Major
Awesome
Alex Hickey
Normally dont listen to Grandpa Jones much these days but dam this is a good one
Phil Bell
Only one like this – grandpa Joes 👍👍
Matt James
I was born in Sebring, Florida!
CB
Howdy neighbor!
TaxPayingContributor
SALUD!