George Jones photo courtesy of Bandit Records.
Dec. 8, 2008 — George Jones was among the recipients Sunday of the Kennedy Center Honors, one of the highest accolades given in American entertainers.
The event, attended by President George W. Bush, also recognized the contributions of Barbra Streisand, Morgan Freeman, choreographer Twyla Tharp and Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who.
Among those who were slated to salute Jones, according to The Washington Examiner, were Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Garth Brooks and Shelby Lynne.
Meanwhile, some of country's biggest stars lined up to pay homage to the Possum in The Washington Post. Among George's admirers:
Vince Gill: "What's beautiful about George's singing is, if you get the opportunity to speak to him, you'll hear in the way that he speaks that it's the same kind of cadence, same kind of rhythm of the way he sings. That's what makes him so gifted. It's unaffected. It's very, very natural. I really study that in people that are great singers. If you don't talk like you sing, then you're not as honest as maybe you should be."
Jamey Johnson: "His voice is the voice of your own spirit. If your spirit could jump out and have its own voice and sing a country song to you, it'd sound like George Jones. He feels everything for you. The lines that you're not really sure what they mean, he'll teach you just by the impression he gives you. You don't even have to speak English to understand a George Jones song. He'll put it on you, and you'll really feel it."
Tim McGraw: "The reason I wanted to sing country music was because of hearing guys like George. Especially him. He's truly a national treasure. He interprets the music so well and is able to reach inside somebody to tell them how they feel."
Luke Bryan: "You hear him, and you know it's George Jones. He has that originality in the way he swoops his voice, his whole approach to singing. He's so undeniable. The quintessential country emotion is there, based on the way he's lived. Big, big hero of mine. I passed him once, when he was going to a doctor's office and I was coming from an allergist. But I couldn't do it. I had an opportunity to meet my hero, but I didn't do it."
Chuck Wicks: "When you hear George Jones sing, you can tell he's telling the truth. He's a guy you don't have to listen to a lot to figure out. You just listen once and you get it."
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