"Country music's own George Jones was so influential to the honky tonk era of traditional country that his long list of grievances, including several failed marriages and long bouts with drug and alcohol addictions, were sidestepped long ago when Jones was written into the unofficial country music hall of fame.Jones grew up in the back hollows of East Texas, swooning over country music when his father bought a radio when he was seven. The musical genius played on the streets for change before getting married and divorced in 1950 at age 19, soon thereafter joining the Marines, where he spent his free time singing in bars. It turns out the music industry was meant for the rebellious youngster, and Jones' first Top Ten single ""Why, Baby, Why"" was released in 1955 under the label Starday. Fame started trickling down to Jones in the mid-‘50s, and after cameos with the Grand Ole Opry his 1961 single ""Tender Years"" marked the changing of an era from traditional country music to a style of more balladry than rock.George Jones continued to strike a heavy presence in the country music realm, lighting up the ‘60s and ‘70s with hits like ""Things Have Gone to Pieces."" Jones scored 17 Top Ten hits between 1965 and 1970, and his successful career had multiplied by thousands. An on-again, off-again relationship with country music balladeer Tammy Wynette led the two to release a string of successful hit singles together, but their marriage eventually fizzled out, as did their professional relationship. After the treacherous divorce, Jones became enthralled in booze and cocaine, making more of a name for himself as a rowdy rebel than a respected singer. Despite stints in and out of rehab, the singer continued to release Top Ten hits through the ‘80s, and a cleaned up George Jones has sang well into the ‘00s to produce hit country music."
