PORTER TUBB's MUSIC BLOG: THE POSSUM...GEORGE JONES

As I've noted on a few occasions, when I first got into country music, George Jones was among the top 4 or 5 artists in my book. I found a "Greatest Hits" album at WFUV and I remembered loving virtually every song on it--"Walk Through This World With Me", "The Grand Tour", "Pictures Of Me Without You" and, of course, his signature, "She Thinks I Still Care". I loved the feeling he put into each song and the common-man stories they told. I saw him on two occasions. The first, back in perhaps the late '70s at the old Bottom Line in NYC. I had free tickets to the first show and paid for the second. Being there for both gave me the opportunity to move up to the front row, literally in front of his face. He was drinking and taking drugs at that time, but, amazingly, he still was awesome. He asked for requests and I shouted out the somewhat obscure, "Tell Me My Lyin' Eyes Are Wrong". I think he realized no one but a die-hard George Jones fan would remember that one and he did it right then and there. Fast forward to about eight years ago. I saw him in Pennsylvania Dutch Country at a theater and had a bad time. His band opened the show like a really loud rock concert and even when he was on, they felt they had to turn it up to keep the audience's attention. They didn't have to. That experience kind of lessened my affection and I moved on a bit, but I still have tremendous respect for George. During the past few years, he's been critical of country music radio and record labels for pushing the pioneers to the side in favor of the flavor-of-the-month, "plastic cowboy", as Vern Gosdin once called them. He's right. But, for now, let's pay tribute to the Possum by playing a few of his greatest songs, including the incredible "He Stopped Loving Her Today", plus links to a Melba Montgomery duet and the aforementioned song he sang for me way back when.
"She Thinks I Still Care"