George Jones - 10 Fun Facts

Nickname “No Show Jones” – He famously missed so many concerts (due to drinking or just vanishing) that fans and promoters gave him the nickname. Ironically, it only added to his mystique.
He recorded a rockabilly record under a fake name – In the late 1950s, he cut rockabilly singles as "Thumper Jones" because he didn’t want to alienate his country fanbase if the trend flopped.
The legendary lawnmower story is true – After Tammy Wynette hid his car keys to stop him from drinking, he rode a lawnmower eight miles to the liquor store. He later said it wasn’t even the first time.
He had a vocal range admired across genres – Frank Sinatra once called him “the second greatest singer in America,” the first being Sinatra himself.
His first guitar was a broomstick and wire – As a child in Beaumont, Texas, Jones would tie wire to a stick and pretend to sing to imaginary crowds outside his shack.
He was illiterate until adulthood – Jones didn’t learn to read until later in life.
He ducked a murder charge – In his rough early days, he allegedly pistol-whipped a man so badly the man was presumed dead. Jones avoided prosecution only because the victim survived and didn’t press charges.
His voice broke hearts, even his own – He often cried while recording, and producer Billy Sherrill would leave the tape rolling to capture those raw, emotional takes, most famously on He Stopped Loving Her Today.
He once chased Tammy Wynette with a loaded rifle – During one of their many volatile fights, Jones allegedly grabbed a gun in a drunken rage. She later forgave him, saying "George was just George."
He turned down Elvis Presley’s offer to tour together - Jones said he didn’t want to compete with Presley’s energy and spectacle. He joked, “I’m just a country singer, not a sex god.”