George Jones

George Jones

     George Jones was first influenced by country music when his parents bought a radio when he was seven years old. At the age of nine he was given his first guitar and he started playing the streets of his hometown for money. He left home to play on the radio when he was fourteen. When he was old enough he enlisted in the Marines and shortly after his discharge his music career started to grow.

    In 1954, he got his first recording contract. Jones started out singing rockabilly and upbeat good time songs. These songs revealed his lifestyle early in his career. He was known for his alcoholism. During his second marriage, his wife, Shirley Corley, hid all the keys to the cars they owned and left. Jones was angry that he could not find them when he wanted to go into town for booze. Eventually he caught glimpse of one key she did not hide. It was in the ignition of their riding lawn mower. He drove eight miles to the closest liquor store on the lawn mower.

   During the 1970s, Jones' manager gave him cocaine before a show because he was too tired to perform. Cocaine mixed with alcohol lead to Jones being admitted into Alabama Psychiatric Hospital by the end of the decade. Also during this time Jones became broke and had to borrow money from Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash.

   During the 1980s, Jones sound changed from party songs to broken hearted love songs. It was at this point that his life started to change for the better. He went from being "No Shoe" Jones to being one of the most reliable artists. He would occasionally fall off the wagon and start drinking again but after a car accident in the late 1990s, Jones sobered up for good.

   Back in 1985. Jones came out with the song "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes." The singer wonders id future artists could ever be as great as the ones in the past. Unknown to him, Jones would fill those shoes.

The official music video for "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes"