One album cover photo changed the way the world of country music would remember the legend George Jones. He was young and his facial features, particularly the shape of his nose, stood out in the picture alongside his crew cut.
Jones shared with “The Boot,” an AOL country music blog, that country music disc jockeys T. Tommy Cutrer and Ralph Emery began calling him “The Possum” after seeing that album photo. He told the publication that the nickname was everywhere and since he couldn’t stop it, he learned to live with it.
The nickname and legendary status continue to follow Jones to Ball State where he will perform his hit singles this weekend for one last time on what he has called “The Grand Tour.”
After 50 years of touring and performances, Jones made the decision to bring his touring career to an end. According to an event press release from NiteLite Promotions, Jones is “ready to slow down and spend more time with his wife, children and grandchildren.” He decided to put together The Grand Tour to give loyal fans one last show. John R. Emens Auditorium is the second of 60 stages the country star will grace on his final tour.
Jones was unavailable for interview, but he was quoted in the event press release saying, “It is tough to stop doing what I love, but the time has come.”
According to the press release, Jones is the second best charting country artist of all time. He has a list of hit singles in every decade since the 1950s including 143 Top 40 hits.
He has received two Grammy Awards, was presented with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and is a Country Music Hall of Fame inductee.
Robert Myers, director of Emens and Pruis Hall, said bringing Jones to Emens will be an outstanding experience.
“Although much of the student body might not be familiar with George Jones, he is really a music legend,” he said. “I Googled him and found him listed as No. 10 on two different lists of top country artists of all time. I doubt that we will ever have the opportunity to bring him to Muncie again.”
Don Kronberg, president of NiteLite Promotions, said Muncie and Ball State have been “great supporters of live talent” for them throughout the years. He said people will come out to see Jones because he’s “one of the legendary voices in country music.”
“We’ve had a ton of sellouts at Emens: Dave Chappelle, Ron White, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Jeff Dunham ... the list goes on and on,” he said. “George Jones was an easy choice again. We had played George several times in the past decade with great success and this is his final tour. It was a no-brainer to make sure he had one last play in Muncie.”
Myers said Emens was built to serve not just the campus, but also the greater east central Indiana region. He said he and his department want to create great performing arts experiences for students and the community.
“We strive to bring a broad range of events across many genres and styles,” he said. “It is something to look back over time and note the incredible list of acts and speakers that have played here.”
While his touring may be coming to an end, Jones will record a new studio album and has worked closely with fellow country star Dolly Parton on it.
Jones will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Emens Auditorium. He is expected to perform hits such as “White Lightning,” “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes” and “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair.”
Opening for Jones is Katie Armiger, a country star with four albums released to date with Cold River Records. Her latest record, “Fall Into Me,” was released in January. Some of her top tracks include “Better In A Black Dress,” “Best Song Ever” and “Scream.”
