Celebrate the Heart of Country, Americana, and Roots Music!

Drop Us A Line, Y'all

Y'all interested in advertising, partnering up, contributing stories, joining our team, or just got a question? Well, don't be shy, drop us a line!

Follow Us

Five Things You Might Not Know About Legendary George Jones

Things To Know About The Possum
by
  • Arden is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, specializing in classic hits and contemporary chart-toppers.
  • Prior to joining Country Thang Daily, Arden wrote for Billboard and People magazine, covering country music legends and emerging artists.
  • Arden holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Tennessee, with a minor in Music Studies.

George Jones served as the voice behind some of the most iconic and memorable country songs. His fans know all about his several hit songs, accomplishments, and awards. They even know about his various relationships, including his highly-publicized marriage to fellow country royalty, Tammy Wynette.

But what most fans didn’t know is that the “He Stopped Loving Her Today” singer lived a quite eventful life full of surprising moments and facts.

Here are our top five things you probably didn’t know about George Glenn Jones.

5. He Grew Up Performing On The Streets Of East Texas

George Jones was born in Saratoga, Texas, on September 12, 1931. He is one of eight children in a low-income family. But despite the hardships, the Jones’ household was one filled with music. His father played the harmonica and guitar while his mother played the piano each Sunday in the Pentecostal Church.

When Jones was nine, his father bought him his first Gene Autry guitar. He quickly picked out the melodies to his favorite songs on the instrument that he became so attached to it he would often fall asleep with the guitar in his arms. 

This led to Jones skipping school to roam the streets of Beaumont with his guitar hanging over his shoulder. He would sing for anyone who would listen. One Sunday, Jones set up a shop at a shoeshine stand singing songs of Roy Acuff. Pretty soon, a crowd had gathered, and at the end of the day, Jones earned about $24. “I’d never seen so much money in my life,” the country singer later recalled. 

From that moment on, music dominated George’s life. Formal education could no longer hold his interest, and after repeating the seventh grade, he dropped out of school. By his early teens, Jones found himself playing in the dive bars of Beaumont, Texas. When he turned 16, he already left home for Jasper, Texas, where he worked as a singer at local radio station KTXJ.

4. He is A Big Fan of Hank Williams

And he finally got the chance to meet him during one of his radio station stints. Hank Williams came by the KRIC radio station, where Jones used to work, to promote his show. Jones was supposed to play electric lead for Williams; however, he couldn’t play a note.  

“I was so intimidated at the sight of Hank Williams and the thought that I was in his presence that I was paralyzed with fear. I simply stood there and watched him arch his back and let that haunting voice coming from his skinny frame fill the room,” Jones wrote on his autobiography.

When Jones heard Williams died on New Year’s Day of 1953, he cried a lot. “You could say he was the biggest part of my life at that time. That’s how personally I took him and his songs,” he said. Little did he know that he would be one of the few singers that could fill the void left by Williams. 

So at the peak of his music career, it’s no longer a surprise when Jones released two albums dedicated to Williams, “George Jones Salutes Hank Williams,” and “My Favorites of Hank Williams.” 

3. People Call Him “The Possum” And “No Show Jones” For A Reason

“When you’re called ‘The Possum’… it stays with me. There’s no way I can ever live it down,” Jones once said. But did you know how he earned that nickname? Apparently, it was because of his looks when he was young. 

“I had an album out with a side view of me with a crew cut. I was very young, and my nose looked more turned up, and I’ve got little beady eyes, so I guess I did look like a possum! So they both laid into me and called me ‘Possum,’ and it got everywhere. There was no way I could stop that, so (I thought) I’ll just have to live with that!” Jones revealed.

“No Show Jones,” on the other hand, was a nickname that stuck with Jones for several years, due to his failure to show up to a number of his concerts. He missed 54 shows in 1979 alone. The country icon has admitted that alcohol and drugs became a bad habit, which he let overshadow his career.

2. He Professed His Love For Tammy Wynette During A Dinner With Her And Her Husband

Before George Jones and Tammy Wynette were married, Jones went over to Wynette’s house one night to have dinner with her and her then-husband, songwriter Don Chapel. While fixing dinner, Wynette and Don Chapel got in a heated argument. Don called Wynette a “son of a bitch” in front of Jones. Jones, who was secretly hiding his admiration with Wynette, lost it.

“I felt rage fly all over me,” Jones recalled. “I jumped from my chair, put my hands under the dinner table, and flipped it over. Dishes, utensils, and glasses flew in all directions. Don’s and Tammy’s eyes got about as big as the flying dinner plates.”

1. He Recorded The First And Most Well-Documented Lawnmower Incident

In the late 60s, George Jones was living eight miles from Beaumont, Texas, and the nearest liquor store. When he had been drunk for several days, his then-wife Shirley Ann Corley made it actually impossible for him to buy another liquor. So she hid all the keys to every car they owned and left.

However, she forgot about the lawnmower. “There, gleaming in the glow, was that ten-horsepower rotary engine under a seat, a key glistening in the ignition,” Jones recalled. “I imagine the top speed for that old mower was five miles per hour. It might have taken an hour and a half or more for me to get to the liquor store, but get there I did.”

The lawnmower-riding-incident happened again when he was married to Tammy Wynette. Guess our beloved George Jones has always been up for a little adventure.

Latest Stories

Dolly Parton looks down emotionally while speaking into a rhinestone-covered microphone during a candid moment on stage.

Dolly Parton Was So Broke When She First Moved to Nashville She Ate Leftover Room Service to Survive

Some people chase dreams. Dolly Parton chased survival. Long before the wigs, the theme park, and the billion-dollar legacy, Dolly was just a teenage girl in cheap shoes with a ...

Kelly Clarkson closes her eyes while singing into a microphone during her raw performance of Cody Johnson’s “When It Comes To You.”

Kelly Clarkson’s Cody Johnson Cover Reminded Folks What Country’s Supposed to Feel Like

Kelly Clarkson’s voice could melt asphalt in the middle of a Texas summer, and when she turned her sights on Cody Johnson‘s “When It Comes To You,” it wasn’t just ...

Connie Francis smiles with hands clasped in front of a pink backdrop and orchids, remembered for her timeless hit “Pretty Little Baby.”

Connie Francis, the Original Pop Icon Behind “Pretty Little Baby,” Dies at 87

She ruled the airwaves before most of us were born, and somehow, against all odds, Connie Francis was going viral on TikTok at 87. The pop powerhouse behind hits like ...

Luke Bryan performs with high energy on stage in a plaid shirt and cap, dividing fans over whether he's saving or ruining country music.

Why Some Country Fans Can’t Stand Luke Bryan and Others Say He Saved the Genre

Country fans don’t just listen, they debate. And if there’s one name that’s kept the whiskey flowing and keyboards clacking over the last decade, it’s Luke Bryan. Depending on who ...

Luke Bryan looks emotional during a heartfelt interview as he reflects on the personal tragedies of losing his brother and sister years apart.

Luke Bryan’s Brother and Sister Died Years Apart and He’s Still Carrying That Pain Today

Country music’s known for telling stories, but Luke Bryan’s life reads more like a ballad you never want to live through. Before the chart-toppers, before the sold-out stadium tours, before ...

Chris Stapleton and Miranda Lambert perform together in cowboy hats as their new duet “A Song to Sing” sparks mixed reactions from critics and fans.

Chris Stapleton and Miranda Lambert’s New Duet Slammed by Critics but Loved by Listeners

You’d think pairing two of the biggest voices in country music would set the world on fire. Instead, some critics are out here pouring cold water on what was supposed ...

More than 50 country legends and stars join together onstage at the Grand Ole Opry’s 100th celebration for a surprise performance of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

Opry 100 Crowd Thought It Was Over Then 50 Country Legends Sang “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”

Thought the show was over? Not even close. The Grand Ole Opry’s 100th anniversary celebration already had fans floating on a high of nostalgia, surprise collaborations, and once-in-a-lifetime performances. But ...

Chris Stapleton performing onstage in a cowboy hat and black suit while playing guitar, tied to his big $1 million donation to help Texas families after devastating floods.

Chris Stapleton Steps Up to Help Texas Families After Devastating Floods With Big Donation

When the waters rise, real country shows up. Texas got hit with a storm over Fourth of July weekend that nobody saw coming, a wall of rain that turned the ...

Beyoncé performing in a white rhinestone outfit and cowboy hat during her Cowboy Carter Tour, amid news her unreleased music and setlists were stolen from a car in Atlanta.

Beyoncé’s Unreleased Music Stolen From Car in Atlanta Along With Cowboy Carter Tour Plans and Setlists

Well, here we go. Beyoncé might want to saddle up that golden horse of hers because this Cowboy Carter circus just keeps getting wilder, and not in a way that’ll ...

Darius Rucker passionately singing on stage before walking off after four songs and refunding fans when he lost his voice in Atlantic City.

Darius Rucker Walks Off Stage After 4 Songs Says “I Can’t Sing Anymore” and Refunds Fans

Sometimes the road just knocks the wind right out of you, or in Darius Rucker‘s case, it takes your voice and leaves you standing there, hat in hand, with nothing ...