The Waylon Jennings and George Jones Scuffle That Ended With Jones Tied to a Tree

The world of present-day pop culture simply does not mimic that of the 60s and 70s. Very rarely do we hear rambunctiously charming stories about musicians treading through dangerous waters and living to tell the tale. That tradition is seemingly over and or just highly diluted. That being said, the only stories of this nature we have are from the past. And when it comes to country music, two musicians with some of the greatest stories are George Jones and Waylon Jennings.

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Jennings and Jones were always friends and musical compadres. As a matter of fact, before the two became famous, they were neighbors of sorts. And while they were neighbors, Jennings actually hog-tied Jones for destroying his house in a drunken rage. Funnily enough, Waylon Jennings tied up George Jones years later and far after they had hit the big time.

The Only Witness Was Waylon Jennings’ Son, Shooter

In the animated docuseries, Mike Judge Presents: Tales From The Tour Bus, Shooter Jennings, Waylon’s son, gives a detailed account of the George Jones incident. If you are a country music fan, you know both of these individuals typically swayed to the extreme when it came to having a good time. This story brings that notion to a new and hilarious extreme.

Recalling the incident, Shooter Jennings stated that “George Jones would come over to our house, and there was one time when he just got drunk and he would get angry.”

“I think he called [Waylon Jennings] a Conway Twitty, singing, son of a b—,” Shooter said. “That’s when my dad tied him to a tree. [George Jones] sat there screaming, ‘I’m the greatest country singer of all time.’ Then my dad opened up the door and said, ‘Yeah, and you’re tied to a f— tree.’”

To some, this story is a depiction of alcoholism, which we know George Jones suffered from. On the other hand, it is also just a legendary country music tale and one that pulls back the veil on these larger-than-life figures. So, yes, in a sense, this is a romanticized tale of the highly detrimental rock and roll lifestyle. Though with a different set of eyes, one can merely view the story as two friends participating in boyish highjinks.

Feel free to interpret the story as you wish. After all, George Jones and Waylon Jennings surely wouldn’t care what you thought of it or them.

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