George Jones: A Country Legend
Born into a poor family at the start of the Great Depression, Jones took to singing on the streets for money as a child and then started to record country music in his 20’s. He was inducted as a Grand Ole Opry performer after writing his first hit in 1955 and the rest was history. He lived a long, prosperous life, but when Jones passed away at age 81 in April 2013, it hit the country music community very hard.
For his funeral, it was only fitting to hold it at Jones’ home away from how, the Grand Ole Opry. Thousands flocked to Nashville for his funeral and many country stars took the stage to remember their idol. Country superstar Vince Gill had a close relationship with Jones, who lovingly called him “Sweetpea”. Gill told Jones’ funeral attendees that he hated the nickname at first, but it grew on him, since every time he heard it, he knew the person loved George Jones.
