George Jones Museum Red Carpet
Interview with Country Stars
Recently, a start-studded cast of country stars, both legendary and new school, adorned the red carpet in honor of a museum that, in turn, was built to honor the greatest country music singer that ever lived.
I speak of George Jones, of course.
The George Jones museum and entertainment venue is fit snugly in the heart of downtown Nashville, right off Second Avenue, and it opened on the second year anniversary of the singer’s death. It was a happy occasion for everyone in attendance, as artists Deirks Bentley, John Rich, Lee Greenwood, Tracey Lawrence, Naomi Judd, and The Roys — to name a select few — gathered around and told loving, fond stories of George and shared memories of their experiences with the legendary singer.
The museum has three stories that include a gift shop, a bar, dining area, a museum area that is ram-packed with priceless memorabilia, and a built-in radio station that will broadcast 24 hours a day. It also hosts a concert hall that will rival any venue in Nashville as far as music and entertainment goes. I would even bet there will be weddings held in this venue in the near future.
Not only that, there is a movie on Jones’s life that is set to wrap soon that I am sure will be a box office smash.
Widow and proprietor Nancy Jones was all smiles as she joyfully stated to the press: “God sent me to save George Jones.” She met the “Possum” at a concert that her best friend dragged her to see — a 1981 festival in New York that Jones played.
She became a fan instantaneously, and two short years later she became Mrs. Jones and stayed faithfully by his side through his battles with alcohol and drug addiction, through his no-show years, until he found God and rededicated his life to Jesus — all the way to his death in 2013. “God put me with him to help him get the devil out of him. God put me there to do a job and I did it,” said Nancy at the event.
Through it all she admits to still visiting his grave site every day. Her story with George was the opposite of the one in her husband’s number #1 signature smash hit “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” Even now, as was clearly evident at the red carpet event, she still gets a twinkle of love in her eye when she speaks of him — a love that most people only dream about.
I asked Nancy on the red carpet, who was being pulled in several directions at once, what she thought of the final results of the new museum. “I absolutely love it,” she replied with a smile. “It’s wonderful. I started from the ’50s to the 2000s [speaking of what Jones items she showcased], and it is happy. It is something that I want his fans to be proud of, and it is a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in here, and you’re going to really enjoy it.”
While on the red carpet, I spoke with a few of the country stars who were there:
Dierks Bentley:
As a new generation artist how do you feel about George Jones and him having his own museum?
Bentley: I think it’s great, it’s really nice and covers everything important. None of us would be here if it wasn’t for George Jones. I started out singing his songs, and wouldn’t imagine life another way. This is a great tribute and a place to gather for new and old fans alike.
John Berry:
Do you think this tribute and museum to George Jones is long over due?
Berry: Well, of course it’s long over due. It’s kind of sad that George isn’t here to see it open and be a part of it all because he was a legend from the word go, and he is awesome and had such a huge influence on so many people, and it is well deserved.
New country recording artist Kayla Adams:
As a new artist, what do you think about the importance of preserving the music of George Jones?
Adams: It is so important. I didn’t grow up listening to George Jones, but as I go more into music, and really appreciating the legends, I was like holy cow he is one of the main people who made country music what it is today, and it is because of people like him that I am here doing what I do today. It is very important to recognize the people who came before us.
