“George Would Not Believe It”: George Jones’ Widow Hosts Star-Studded Birthday Show for Late Legend

George Jones was just remembered in a special way. In honor of what would have been the country music legend’s 95th birthday, his widow, Nancy Jones, put on a concert amid her ongoing efforts to keep his legacy alive.

“When he was in the hospital, I told him that I was going to continue to keep his legacy alive. I said, ‘Cause you’re an icon,’” Nancy told American Songwriter ahead of the show. “He said, ‘Honey, I can’t even spell that word.’ He said, ‘We’ve been together 32 years. I just want you to enjoy life.’” 

Nancy said that, in recent years, she’s begun to do just that. That was certainly the case at the Nashville Palace on Sunday night, when stars including Jamey Johnson, Lorrie Morgan, and Randy Travis gathered to celebrate George.

“Randy loved George Jones. George Jones was the the guy that Randy listened to when he was young that he formed so many of his manners in music,” Mary Travis told AS before the show began. “… He got to meet George Jones and they became fast friends. I think they were both the bad boys turned good. They had music that just fell out of their mouth, it just was a God-given gift. When [Randy] sang music, it had some of the imprint of George on it.”

Inside George Jones’ 95th Birthday Concert

Nancy and the Travises were among the hundreds who packed the room for two hours of incredible music.

One standout performance came from John PayCheck, whose dad, Johnny Paycheck, used to play bass with George. John opted to sing “Love Bug,” which he told AS was “one of the very first songs I remember George and Dad singing together.”

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Later in the show, Lisa Matassa took the stage, performing a unique rendition of “Tennessee Whiskey,” which combined Chris Stapleton’s version of the song with her own take. While Lisa told AS that she was nervous to not perform George’s version, she did so at Nancy’s insistence.

“Nancy saw me sing at a club in Hendersonville… She said, ‘I want you to sing that way, that song on my birthday party that I’m going to throw for George’s 95th birthday. I want you to do it.’ And I said, ‘Nancy, do you want me to do George’s version or this version?’ She goes, ‘The one you just sang.’ And I said, ‘OK,’” Lisa said. “Hopefully nobody will get upset that I’m doing my own version of it, but that’s what she wanted.”

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The audience was certainly not upset by Lisa’s performance, as they cheered as she wowed on stage.

Standout Performances from George Jones’ Birthday Concert

The crowd had a similar response to Belle Frantz and Heath Wright’s performances, before songwriter Billy Yates took the stage to perform “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair,” one of many songs he co-wrote for George.

“I think he will always go down history as such a stylist, and probably the best country singer of all time,” Yates told AS ahead of the show. “The songs, his life, what he contributed to society as being George Jones is very important.”

Uncle Kracker agreed, as he turned up to perform “Window Up Above,” which he told AS was one of his and his dad’s favorite George Jones songs.

Up-and-comer Jake Worthington also took the stage. He did so at Nancy behest, who gushed about her “love” for Jake’s voice before paying him the highest compliment: “He sounds so much like George.”

The audience concurred as they watched Jake perform “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” Jake also performed alongside Ernest, singing “Yesterday’s Wine.”

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Later, Lorrie Morgan and Jamey Johnson teamed up to perform “Good Year for the Roses,” before the latter artist closed out the night by singing “Whose Gonna Fill Their Shoes.”

“George would not believe it,” Nancy said of all the people that turned up to honor George. “He was such a shy person… He just always thought that he didn’t fit in. I don’t know why, but trust me, he did. Every artist I can think of—rock and roll, country—they love George Jones.”

Photo by John Atashian/Getty Images