By the early ’90s, George Jones had every honor a country singer could want—but barely a spot on country radio. His 1992 single “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair” wasn’t just a song; it was a battle cry against an industry eager to sideline its legends.
It was an experience that Jones had to endure in real time. Jones was Dolly Parton’s original singing partner on what became her chart-topping Ricky Van Shelton collaboration “Rockin’ Years.” Parton and Jones initially recorded the song together, but the label refused to release it with Jones’ voice. She re-recorded it with Shelton and also released it in 1992.
“There has never been a time when country radio was so disrespectful to its elders,” Jones said in his 1995 memoir.
Most people, even in Nashville, were unaware of that story at the time. But songwriter Billy Yates did. He didn’t consider himself very much of a songwriter at the time. He was a singer and hairstylist on Music Row who cut the hair of Jones’ wife, Nancy. Yates used his insider information to his advantage. “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair” was his first of eight Jones cuts.
Yates wrote the song with Frank Dycus and Kerry Kurt Phillips.
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“I Couldn’t Write a Letter Home”
I couldn’t write a letter home, but I thought, ‘Well, I’ll give it a shot,’” Yates told NSAI’s Bart Herbison of the songwriting appointment that eventually led to “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair.”
Bruce Bouton had invited Yates to write with him. Yates dreaded it because he had no confidence writing song lyrics; however, as a singer, he did understand melody and phrasing. He accepted the invite and met Dycus through Bouton. That day, the three men wrote “Walls Can Fall,” which became the title track of the album that featured “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair.” But George Jones recorded the latter first.
“I learned so many things from Dycus,” Yates said. “He brought in people like Kerry, who I also learned an awful lot from and had the utmost respect for.”
The idea for “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair” came from Dycus. He knew he wanted to write the title for Jones, but he didn’t know the backstory on “Rockin’ Years.”
“A little light bulb went off in my mind,” Yates said. “It’s like, ‘Oh, this would be perfect. It’s not only a perfect statement for Jones to say, but it’s also a great way for him to kind of give his old record label the finger.”
Lyrics include: I do my rockin’ on the stage/ You can’t put this possum in a cage/ My body’s old, but it ain’t impaired/I don’t need your rockin’ chair
The Songwriters Bled for Verse Two – Radio Chopped It
Phillips remembers sitting in Dycus’ fancy writing room, trying to hammer out another verse. Dycus and Yates wanted to be done with the song, but Phillips just couldn’t let it go.
“We tried to write a second verse and couldn’t,” Phillips said. “It all sounded contrived and trite, and I was damned determined. It had to have a second verse. And anybody who knows me knows, I’m not afraid of beating a dead horse. I’ll beat it back to life.”
After what felt like an extended period to the men in the room, Phillips landed on the lyrics: An Eskimo needs a Fridgedaire/ Like I need your rockin’ chair
“I was like, ‘I told you so, I told you bonehead, it had to have that second verse,” Phillips recalled. “It’s magnificent now. It’s like it ought to be.”
Yates found out when Jones planned to record “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair” and desperately wanted to be there to watch the process. He wasn’t invited, but snuck into the studio as someone else was walking out. He ducked behind producer Emory Gordy Jr. and hid in the shadows. Jones was the only person who ever saw him in the room.
George Jones Played Billy Yates “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair” in His Garage
After the recording process was complete, Nancy Jones invited Yates to come hear the complete version of the song. He enjoyed listening to music in his car in the garage. When Yates climbed in with The Possum, he had another cassette tape in his pocket. He told Herbison he had only written three songs at that point. After Jones played him “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair,” Yates asked the legend if he was finished recording. Jones said he was almost done and asked if Yates had another song he wanted to pitch. He played Jones “Walls Can Fall.”
George Jones loved it, recorded it, and it became the album’s title track.
However, much to Phillips’ chagrin, everything didn’t go as planned. When he heard “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair” on the radio, something was missing.
“They left out the damn second verse,” he said.
A De Facto Political Statement
However, they used the verse in the music video, which also featured many of the young stars that radio was pushing to include in its playlists, as Jones was being sidelined. Alan Jackson, Clint Black, Joe Diffie, Mark Chesnutt, Travis Tritt, Pam Tillis, Vince Gill, and Garth Brooks are among the artists who participated.
“I thought it was important because it was a de facto political statement,” said Herbison, Executive Director of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, of the music video. “You’ve got some of the younger artists who the labels are saying are going to basically replace George, who loved the kind of country music George did. At the end, (George) smashes the rocking chairs.”
(Photo by John Atashian/Getty Images)
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