The special honors the country icon
PBS is set to premiere Great Performances — George Jones: Still Playin’ Possum on Friday, February 23rd at 9 pm ET. The all-star celebration was filmed on April 25, 2023, at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama, marking the 10th anniversary of Jones’ passing.
The special honors one of history’s most influential, storied and beloved country music icons. Jones’ hits including “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair,” “The Race Is On,” “He Stopped Loving Her Today” and many more are performed by Travis Tritt, Tanya Tucker, Brad Paisley, Jelly Roll, Dierks Bentley, Sam Moore, Wynonna, Jamey Johnson, Uncle Kracker, Trace Adkins, Lorrie Morgan, Joe Nichols and other country stars accompanied by a band of Nashville’s top players.
Great Performances – George Jones: Still Playin’ Possum is directed and edited by Jeff Richter. Executive producers are Nancy Jones, Kirk West, and Kirt Webster. Producers are Kirt Webster, Luke Pierce, Ben Haley and Gregory Hall. Great Performances is produced by The WNET Group with Bill O’Donnell serving as series producer and David Horn is executive producer.
Last fall, the concert was shown in theaters as a one-night-only event entitled Still Playin’ Possum: Music & Memories of George Jones. The showing was a partnership between No Show Productions and Fathom Events.
Jones, referred to as “The Possum,” is regarded among the most important and influential singers in American popular music history. He was the singer of enduring country music hits including “She Thinks I Still Care,” “The Grand Tour,” “Walk Through This World With Me,” “Tender Years” and “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” the latter of which is often at the top of industry lists of the greatest country music singles of all time. Born in Saratoga, Texas, Jones played on the streets of Beaumont for tips as a teenager. He served in the US Marine Corps before returning to Texas and recording for the Starday label in Houston, Texas. In 1955, his “Why Baby Why” became his first Top 10 country single, peaking at No. 4 and beginning a remarkable commercial string: Jones would ultimately record more than 160 charting singles, more than any other artist in any format in the history of popular music. His first No. 1 hit came in 1959 with “White Lightning,” a Mercury Records single that topped Billboard country charts for five weeks. He moved on to United Artists and then to Musicor, notching hits including “She Thinks I Still Care,” “The Race Is On,” “A Good Year for the Roses” and “Walk Through This World With Me.”
Jones signed with Epic Records in 1971 and worked with producer Billy Sherrill to craft a sound at once elegant and rooted, scoring with “The Grand Tour,” “Bartenders Blues” and many more. Sherrill also produced duets between Jones and his then-wife Tammy Wynette, and in the 1970s they scored top-charting hits including “We’re Gonna Hold On,” “Golden Ring” and “Near You.” By the time “Golden Ring” and “Near You” hit in 1976, Jones and Wynette were divorced, and Jones was battling personal demons. His solo career cooled until 1980 when he recorded “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” a ballad penned by Curly Putman and Bobby Braddock that helped Jones win Country Music Association prizes for best male vocal and top single. “He Stopped Loving Her Today” revived a flagging career, and Jones won the CMA’s Top Male Vocalist award in 1980 and 1981. He also earned a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. He signed with MCA Records in 1990 and began a successful run, and he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992. His guest vocal on Patty Loveless’ “You Don’t Seem To Miss Me” won a CMA award for top vocal event in 1998, and it became his final Top 20 country hit.
Series funding for Great Performances is provided by The Joseph & Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust, the Thea Petschek Iervolino Foundation, Jody and John Arnhold, the Abra Prentice Foundation, The Starr Foundation, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, the Jack Lawrence Charitable Remainder Trust, Seton J. Melvin, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, the Blanche and Hayward Cirker Charitable Trust, Leni and Peter May, the Estate of Worthington Mayo-Smith, Ellen and James S. Marcus and the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation.
