Twenty-one years later, Jones was again drunk when he appeared at the Quonset Hut (by then called “Columbia Studio B”) to record “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” However, technology had advanced enough by 1980 that producer Billy Sherrill could piece it all together electronically, and assemble a flawless track of that enduring classic.
Producer Don Pierce decided to go back and see what they had so far and he discovered that on the third take, Jones made it all the way through “White Lightning,” and flubbed only one word, “slug,” toward the end of the song (George slurred the word, pronouncing it “ss-sslug”). Because that was the only noticeable mistake, the third cut was deemed acceptable for release and Killen’s fingers could start to heal.
Other than the one minor flaw, it was a great recording otherwise, featuring not only Buddy’s sensational dog house bass intro but Floyd Jenkins’ fabulous guitar work and Hargus “Pig” Robbins’ rollicking, barrelhouse piano. Working sessions since 1957, this is the one that first brought Pig to prominence as a key session player. In retrospect, George’s error on “White Lightning” probably made the record an even bigger hit. For the remainder of his career, in subsequent live performances of the song during concerts, Jones would intentionally over-emphasize his mis-pronunciation of the word as a comedic gesture, which audiences loved.