George Jones

The great George Jones was honoured by some of the biggest names in country and western music this week, as the stars came out in force to the George Jones Tribute Concert at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Friday, 22 November. The widely acclaimed country star country, who sadly passed away earlier this year on 23 April, was honoured for four hours straight by some huge names performing Jones' greatest hits.

George Jones passed away earlier this year

The evening began (via Billboard) with the sole piece of stock footage featuring Jones, the video for his sigle 'No Show Jones,' yet despite his absence from the jumbo screens on stage, his memory never left the arena during the event billed as 'The Final No Show.'

Continue reading: George Jones Honoured By The Stars Of Country At Nashville Tribute Concert

The late, great George Jones was honored this Friday at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena Friday. The night was originally intended to celebrate the country icon’s retirement, but after his death last April, it was held as a sort of posthumous tribute. Billed as 'Playin' Possum: The Final No-Show,' the sold-out concert featured acts ranging from Garth Brooks and GEORGE STRAIT to Kid Rock and MEGADETH, USA Today reports.

The late George Jones defined the face of country music for most of the 20th century.

"During the funeral, we mourned George; tonight we celebrate," former Grand Ole Opry announcer Keith Bilbrey told the crowd at the start of the show. The performances ran on for over four hours, in order to accommodate the 112 artists, performing in memory of Jones. "Talk about wrangling cats!" Co-host Charlie Chase quipped early on in the show. "Everybody I've talked to says they're going on early," Dierks Bentley said backstage.

Continue reading: Nashville Pays Its Respects To The Late George Jones With Star-Studded Concert

Jack Clement, a Nashville country music legend, died yesterday (8th August) at the age of 82. He had been suffering from cancer of the liver and died at his home in Nashville, according to reports in The Tennessean. 

Jerry Lee Lewis, photographed performing in Las Vegas in 2011, worked with Jack Clement.

Over his 50 year career, Clement worked with artists hailing from all genres of music. Despite his interests lying primarily in country music, he has produced records by Rock, Jazz, Bluegrass and Gospel amongst many others. 

Continue reading: Jack Clements, Country Music Icon, Dies Of Cancer Aged 82

Randy Travis’s struggle to recover after a stroke continues, and there are very few encouraging developments to report. The country star is still in a critical condition at a Nashville Tennessee hospital. His doctors report that Randy is heavily sedated, and has remained so since the emergency brain surgery he underwent after suffering a stroke.

Randy's condition hasn't improved much since Wednesday.

The singer has been hospitalized since Sunday, when he was signed in with congestive heart failure, due to a viral infection. While Travis was recovering from his heart problems, he suffered a stroke on Wednesday night. The professionals at The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano were quick to react and Travis went under the knife for an operation to relieve the pressure on his brain. Unfortunately, while the operation had the desired effect, the 54-year-old singer remains in critical condition.

Continue reading: Despite Doctors' Best Efforts, Randy Travis Remains In Critical Condition

US country singer Randy Travis currently lies in a "critical condition" after being admitted to a Dallas hospital on Sunday, according to the Associated Press. 54 year-old Travis is said be being treated for viral cardiomyopathy, which is a condition that prevents the heart contracting - therefore pumping blood - as efficiently as it should. The serious condition, in Travis' case a viral one, can lead to heart failure yet can be treated with medication, surgically implanted devices, or a full heart transplant. It is not known why or where Travis came into contact with the virus but his body's defences could have been weakened by the tiring string of touring he has undertaken recently, having performed at several high-profile occasions including the funeral of 'White Lightning' singer/songwriter George Jones and Country Music Association Festival's nightly concert series.

Randy Travis Is A Successful Country Musician But Has Had Problems With Drink In The Past.

The North Carolina-born country singer had also recently set about straightening his reputation after several alcohol-related public incidents that the 'Three Wooden Crosses' singer would rather put behind him. As reported by CBS News, Travis was arrested for public intoxication in January 2012 after police responded to reports of a suspicious car parked outside a Baptist church, with Travis found inside smelling of alcohol with an open bottle of wine in his possession. He was detained for four hours and later apologised for his actions, saying he's been celebrating the Super Bowl. However, in August of the same year, Travis was found lying drunk and naked on a remote stretch of Texan road after losing control of his Pontiac Trans Am. He resisted police's intervention and also reportedly threatened "to shoot and kill the troopers working the case," thus receiving two years probation, a $2,000 fine and a 180-day suspended jail sentence.

Continue reading: Randy Travis Still Hospitalised In "Critical Condition" Due To Heart Problems

American country star Randy Travis is in a critical condition in hospital with a heart condition thought to be caused by a virus. The singer-songwriter - who has won several Grammys and Country Music Association awards - spent the night in a Dallas hospital, his publicist told the BBC.

The 54-year-old has struggled with health and legal problems in recent years, pleading guilty to drink-driving in January after being found drunk and naked following a car crash in Texas. However, Travis has made several high-profile appearances since then, including a performance at the funeral of fellow country star George Jones in May.

In June, he performed a well-attended concert in Nashville and told fans he had finished recording an album of country classics. 

Continue reading: Country Star Randy Travis In Critical State After Contracting Virus

Country legend George Jones' funeral takes place today. He died on Friday (April 26, 2013), at the age of 81 and a report from CBC news earlier today revealed that the former First Lady Laura Bush will be amongst those paying their final respects to the late music star. Joining Bush will be country stars including Charlie Daniels, Randy Travis, Tanya Tucker and Brad Paisley. Kenny Chesney and Barbara Mandrell are also expected at the funeral, which was scheduled to take place at the Grand Ole Opry.

Jones was an inspiration to many a performer, both inside the country music community and beyond. Musicians as diverse as crooner Frank Sinatra, Pete Townshend of The Who and songwriter James Taylor are known to have been influenced by the work of George Jones. In 2012, he announced a final tour that would become his grand farewell to country music.

Jones gained himself a reputation as something of a hard-drinking Texan man, who struggled with addiction problems as well as having on-going financial problems. However, his image never really overshadowed the respect that people had for Jones as a song writer and performer. He had been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1956 and was inducted into the US Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992. In 2008, he was also celebrated at the annual Kennedy Center Honors.

Continue reading: Country Stars Unite As George Jones Funeral Takes Place At Grand Ole Opry

Fans of the late country music star George Jones are invited to say their final goodbyes to the singer at his funeral on May 2 at the Grand Old Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee at 10am. A press release confirmed that the ceremony would be open to the public, while a private visitation for family, friends and fellow performers would take place on Wednesday evening.

"George would have wanted his fans and friends everywhere to be able to come and pay their respects along with his family," his publicist Kirt Webster said. Jones' widow Nancy added, "Thanks to George's friends, fans, and loved ones for the outpouring of love at this terrible time." The 81-year-old star, known for his notorious lifestyle during the height of his fame, passed away at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Friday evening (April 26, 2013) where had been hospitalized for a week with a fever and irregular blood pressure. The immediate cause of death remains unclear.

Jones - who earned the nickname 'No Show Jones' for his propensity to miss concerts - struggled with alcohol and drugs. However, Country Music Hall of Fame staffer Michael McCall believes Jones' career survived the setbacks because fans could relate to his flawed character. "They identified that it wasn't him being a jerk. It was him struggling with addictions and struggling with himself. It wasn't that he walked out on stage and cussed 'em out-although he may have done that, too-but they saw that this was a man struggling with himself and not somebody who was just high and mighty and being a jerk," he told Billboard.

Continue reading: Fans Invited To Say Goodbye To George Jones At Nashville Funeral

Country music legend George Jones, who was universally known as the biggest voice in country, died this week at the age of 81. Jones was referred to as The Voice of country and a number of his colleagues have come forward to express their grief over his passing.

“Today someone else has become the greatest living singer of traditional country music, but there will never be another George Jones,” said Bobby Braddock, the Country Music Hall of Fame songwriter who provided Jones with 29 songs over the decades. “No one in country music has influenced so many other artists.”

Jones’s voice was really at the core of his success. Strong and deep, his voice could sound surprisingly gentle when the song demanded it. Over the course of his career, Jones became a treasured figure in Nashville, but his problems were also often in the public eye. Still, it’s rare nowadays that a celebrity remains known for their work moreso than their personal troubles. Perhaps it was because he belonged to an older generation, but George Jones was one of those rare cases.

Continue reading: The Voice Of Country George Jones Died At Age 81

George Jones, whose song 'He Stopped Loving Her Today' is often considered one of the greatest country music songs of all time, has died aged 81. The country star died at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, according to the Associated Press. He had been suffering from a fever and irregular blood pressure.

Though Jones was adored by his strong following, he often astonished them with his erratic behaviour and brushes with death. He struggling with alcohol and drug abuse, had multiple marriages and divorces, lawsuits and motor vehicle accidents. His life became the stuff of country legend and he will no doubt be remembered for the infamous 'lawnmower incident'. Following a huge drinking binge, Jones had his car keys confiscated by his wife so he couldn't drive into town for more booze. Unfortunately for Mrs Jones, the musician commandeered a motorized lawn mower and drove himself to the nearest liquor store. "I imagine the top speed for that old mower was five miles an hour," he recalled in his 1996 memoir, "It might have taken an hour and a half or more for me to get to the liquor store, but get there I did."

"Hopefully [history] will remember me for my music and forgive me of the things I did that let 'em down," Jones told an interviewer in 2006, There are some things you just can't make up to people," he said of the many performances he missed over the years because of his struggles with alcohol and drugs. He gained the moniker "No Show Jones" throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Continue reading: RIP George Jones: Country Star Whose Antics Put Today's Rock Stars To Shame