I think it's fair to say if it weren't for his God and his loving and caring wife, Nancy, George Jones probably wouldn't be here today. And that would truly be sad to his many loving and devoted country music fans, including myself. Today he's very much alive at nearly seventy-five.
His love-hate addiction to whiskey and cocaine nearly killed him. His very sick mind brought him to dangerous levels of self-hate and violence to others. Even his own family and friends could not believe his transformation from good to evil.
His once very successful music career did not matter to him anymore. His priorities were to feed his addictions at any cost. He did not show up for his scheduled concerts. This reputation earned him the nickname, "no-show" Jones. Because of his deadly abuse of drugs and alcohol, he was hospitalized many times.
In 1980, at the age of forty-nine and at the very height of his powerful addiction, Jones managed to deliver his most famous and successful song of his career, He Stopped Loving Her Today hit number one for eighteen weeks on the Billboard country charts. It also won him the CMA award for single of the year. He was riding high and you can take that meaning both ways. He never expected the song would have that much success. At the end of the recording session, he said, "that's the most morbid song I've ever heard or sang." But if you look at him in the video of that song, it isn't hard to tell how frail, sick and tired he was.
In 1981, he was to meet the only woman that truly saved him. Her name was Nancy Sepulvado. Little did she know that her new boyfriend would take her down treacherous roads she never imagined or dreamed of. She saved him from death so many times. Jones confesses today how patient and strong she was dealing with him and never in a nagging manner. Ironically enough, she stood by her man and they were inseparable through good and bad times.
In 1983, Nancy Sepulvado became Mrs. George Jones. They seemed happy but the worst was yet to come. Admission to his addiction and recovery took many, many years. His paranoia made him a monster to live with. He even beat Nancy a few times, but she never left him. His poor health took a turn for the worst and had to have open heart surgery. He felt he was slowing down and could not keep up the pace toward hell any longer.
Years later, in 1996, he wrote an autobiography that was co-written with Tom Carter entitled I Lived To Tell It All. By then he surely recognized his past failures and was courageous enough to admit them. Nancy would be able to rest a little better.
Unfortunately, his shortcomings didn't end there like his book did. He made mistakes like a lot of other alcoholics and drug addicts do--he thought he could cut back in his consumption and create another style without completely abandoning his demons. He quit cocaine but he thought he could maintain less drinking.
Three years later, in 1999, Jones hit a bridge with his vehicle about a mile from his ranch in Franklin, Tennessee. This time he barely survived to tell it all. He was hospitalized and wasn't expected to live. There was speculation by media reports that a fifth of whiskey was found in his vehicle and that alcohol was the factor in the accident.
From that day forward, Jones was a changed man for the good. His healthy lifestyle and his renewed relationship as a new-born Christian has agreed with him quite well. He has been on the straight and narrow ever since the near-fatal accident, and has at last put his demons to rest.
His wife, Nancy, has been a big part of his recovery and the success and happiness he enjoys today as an entertainer and a recovering alcoholic. He looks healthy and happy as he maintains his road schedule of concert tours of over a hundred per year.
If a person can imagine a big celebrity like George Jones and the famous friends and acquaintances he has known along the entertainment path of spanning fifty years or more--some fellow addicts themselves—getting clean and sober had to be a monumental task to achieve. I speak for myself and his fans when we say we are so proud of him and admire him for it. His no-show reputation has ceased to be.
An appropriate song or two to deliver to Nancy Jones from her husband, George, would have the following lyrics in his earlier recordings—-"I've had good luck and bad luck, and no luck-- it's true—but I always get lucky with you." And the other one would be "She's my rock that I lean on. She's the sunshine of my day--and I ain't gonna throw her away." Thank God and Mrs. Jones, George "the possum" Jones is here today.
Earl D. Erickson is a recovering alcoholic and a huge country music fan. He also is a fan club member of George Jones, Merle Haggard and Charley Pride. His hobbies include writing and photography. He is currently writing an autobiography, entitled, Abstinence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder. A story of his own turbulent life of alcoholism. He is an owner of two websites. They are http://videosmusicandmore.com, http://sqwearlenterprises.co
He also writes and photographs as a hobby. He lives in Tacoma, Washington. He is the owner of Videos, Music And More (http://videosmusicandmore.com).
[tags]George Jones,alcoholism, drugs, faith in God, music career, country music, a strong marriage[/tags]