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425:) "Ba bum ba bum ba bum," build-ups...He tried to do that with me, but I finally had a talk with him. I said, 'Billy, I'm country, I'm traditional, I know you're wanting to cross over with me like you have with Tammy, Charlie Rich and those people, but I'm hardcore and I can't help it. That's what I feel, and I can't do a good job for the label, you or anybody else if I don't feel it myself.'"
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was released in the summer of 1974, its title track becoming Jones's first number one smash in eight years. An instant classic, Jones practically inhabits the song, which begins with the irresistible hook, "Step right up, come on in..." The song is widely hailed as one of the finest performances in
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also includes "Our
Private Life", a song Jones wrote with Wynette which takes a swipe at the gossip-mongers in the tabloid press who were hounding them and speculating (quite accurately, as it turned out) that their marriage was crumbling. Ironically, one of the co-writers of "The Grand Tour" was
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LP was certified gold when it sold more than half a million copies β far more than George's albums had ever sold. Everyone could now see that George was running the risk of becoming a mere musical appendage to his younger and ever more famous wife."
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was "a watershed for Jones, boasting the title track as one of the most devastating country singles ever issued that came so close to crossing over it was being played on some adult pop stations along with
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The album produced one other hit, 's "Once You've Had The Best", which went to number 3 on the charts and remained a part of Jones' live show for the remainder of his career.
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country singles chart. By the end of the decade, the singer was unhappy with the sloppy production quality of his records and had signed with Epic in the hopes that producer
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Country Albums chart and contained the hit title track, which reached a peak of #1 in August 1974. It is Jonesβ 50th Album
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George Jones & Gene Pitney β For the First Time! Two Great Stars
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George Jones & Gene Pitney β Recorded in
Nashville, Tennessee!
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is considered one of Jones's greatest albums. Thom Jurek of
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gives the album a perfect score (5 out of 5) and writes:
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George Jones: The Life and Times of a Honky Tonk Legend
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1281:George Jones Singing 14 Top Country Song Favorites
1295:The Fabulous Country Music Sound of George Jones
937:Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half as Bad as Losing You)
916:George Jones Sings the Great Songs of Leon Payne
1147:Burn Your Playhouse Down β The Unreleased Duets
413:Classic Country Music: A Smithsonian Collection
860:George Jones Sings the Songs of Dallas Frazier
411:country music history. In his liner notes for
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117:Learn how and when to remove this message
1426:God's Country: George Jones and Friends
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508:, George Richey, Carmol Taylor) β 3:06
131:1974 studio album by George Jones
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1288:George Jones Sings His Greatest Hits
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776:George Jones Sings Like the Dickens!
55:adding citations to reliable sources
720:White Lightning and Other Favorites
18:The Grand Tour (George Jones album)
1248:Kickin' Out the Footlights...Again
727:George Jones Salutes Hank Williams
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1549:Albums produced by Billy Sherrill
1309:The Crown Prince of Country Music
1126:The Rock: Stone Cold Country 2001
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1140:Hits I Missed...And One I Didn't
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1377:Anniversary β 10 Years of Hits
1363:All-Time Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
1177:Close Together (As You and Me)
769:I Wish Tonight Would Never End
684:Discography with Tammy Wynette
622:George Jones' official website
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930:A Picture of Me (Without You)
923:George Jones (We Can Make It)
762:My Favorites of Hank Williams
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748:George Jones Sings Bob Wills
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1157:Collaborative studio albums
902:Will You Visit Me on Sunday
66:"The Grand Tour" album
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278:The Best of George Jones
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867:The George Jones Story
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1302:Long Live King George
1133:The Gospel Collection
1007:Still the Same Ole Me
522:" (H. B. Hall) β 2:59
331:Released: May 3, 1974
1458:Live with the Possum
1405:Super Hits, Volume 2
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1274:Hillbilly Hit Parade
1251:(with Merle Haggard)
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599:. August 31, 2024
593:"Top Album Picks"
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1480:Melba Montgomery
1419:50 Years of Hits
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839:I'm a People
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663:George Jones
601:. Retrieved
596:
587:
531:Grady Martin
527:Hank Cochran
506:Norro Wilson
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360:Epic Records
356:George Jones
346:
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247:George Jones
175:January 1974
157:George Jones
152:Studio album
128:
113:
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61:
49:Please help
44:verification
41:
1539:1974 albums
1490:Gene Pitney
1436:Live albums
1209:Gene Pitney
972:Alone Again
603:February 6,
511:"Darlin'" (
473:Herb Alpert
1533:Categories
1391:Super Hits
1384:By Request
965:The Battle
874:My Country
579:References
552:Mel Street
370:Background
249:chronology
77:newspapers
1321:Judy Lynn
597:Billboard
513:Ray Griff
441:Reception
418:Billboard
380:Billboard
364:Billboard
188:Nashville
1014:Shine On
832:Love Bug
574:) β 2:20
561:) β 2:54
554:) β 3:04
544:) β 2:40
533:) β 2:45
515:) β 2:05
451:AllMusic
235:Producer
184:Columbia
172:Recorded
164:Released
154: by
679:Singles
465:Bennett
461:Sinatra
423:singing
376:Musicor
354:artist
296:Singles
282:(1975)
273:(1974)
264:(1974)
200:Country
91:scholar
1370:Encore
1319:(with
1239:(with
1227:(with
1207:(with
1180:(with
1168:(with
689:Awards
674:Albums
471:, and
206:Length
180:Studio
93:
86:
79:
72:
64:
478:Uncut
298:from
223:Label
195:Genre
98:JSTOR
84:books
605:2024
228:Epic
70:news
540:" (
504:" (
485:'s
53:by
1535::
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529:,
467:,
463:,
215:35
211:28
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1243:)
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648:t
641:v
607:.
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114:(
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95:Β·
88:Β·
81:Β·
74:Β·
47:.
20:)
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