Kennedy Honors For Jones

I'll never forget the night I saw George Jones at the Grand 'Ole Opry.

Jones sang a gospel duet with the late Vestal Goodman called Mansion Over The Hilltop. It was nothing short of thrilling.

When the song ended I turned to the man who was sitting next to me with his young son (who must have been about eight or nine years old.) "I hope that boy knows he witnessed one of the greats here tonight," I told the father. "Oh, yes sir, he does," he answered. "He does know that."

Indeed, everyone in the audience knew thay had witnessed greatness.

Now, this beloved country music icon has been chosen to receive a 2008 Kennedy Center Honor.

Jones, who has been called, the “greatest living country singer,” earned his reputation by diving so deeply into a song’s lyrics that listeners couldn’t help but feel an emotional connection to the song and the singer. The country legend first hit the charts in 1955 and since then has won two Grammys, numerous CMA and ACM Awards, has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and still headlines nearly 100 shows a year.
Follow up:
“I am completely overwhelmed to be the recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor,” said Jones. “I can’t believe that I have been included in the same company as previous winners that are country music legends: Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Roy Acuff and Willie Nelson. Since I was a young man, I have just done what I love and that is sing country music, and I never dreamed that something this special would happen to me. I am completely humbled and will be proud to accept the award!”
Since 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors have bestowed on extraordinary artists. The Honors have been compared to a knighthood in Britain, or the French Legion of Honor. In addition to the gala performance in the Center Opera House, the Honorees are treated to a White House reception and banquet.
Bandit Records released George Jones: Burn Your Playhous Down the unreleased duets, a collection of never before heard duets between Jones and his illustrious guests on August 19, 2008. The recordings range from the mid-70s with his ex-wife, the “First Lady of Country Music,” Tammy Wynette to the most recent recording from 2007 with his daughter, Georgette, the only child from the union of George and Tammy.

George Jones is what country music is all about.

And country music is America.