Chesney Honors George Jones

Kenny Chesney was one of several country stars who honored George Jones at his funeral Thursday.  Kenny met Jones early in his career, opened shows for him, and later recorded several duets with him, including “Small Y’All” on Kenny’s Hemmingway’s Whiskey album.  Kenny performed at George’s 75th birthday party, and George returned the favor just a few years later.

Here is text of Kenny’s tribute to George Jones:

“George Jones was always there in my life.  He meant so much to so many.  George was my friend.  George was in my grandmother’s kitchen when I was a kid.  I lived with her and my mom when my stepfather was in Vietnam.  The very first song I heard George sing was “Who’s Gonna Chop My Baby’s Kindlin’ When I’m Gone.”   He was always this larger than life figure that I thought I’d never meet, much less become friends with, or have in many ways as a father figure in my life.   When I first started in the business, George asked me to open for him on several shows.  One night in Beaumont TX, him & Nancy asked if I wanted to fly back to Nashville with them, and I’d never met them til that night.  You can imagine a kid from East Tennessee riding on a private jet back to Nashville with George & Nancy.  It validated everything I thought about George.  So I just wanted to thank George for being George, for showing me how to be human, and George was so authentically human in his life, and in his music.  I came here today to say to Nancy that I love you, and I loved George like a father, and he inspired all of us with his music, and I loved him, and I will miss him.  George I loved you so much.  And Nancy, on my way here, I listened to a lot of his music in my car, and I played Who’s Gonna Chop My Baby’s Kindlin’ When I’m Gone, and George is gone, and I think I speak for a lotta people when I say if you need help choppin’ kindling,’ I’ll be there.  I love you very much.:

On Friday, Kenny talked about his Jones tribute with Ramblin’ Ray at WUSN Chicago: “It was hard, you just don’t know what to say, I had in my mind exactly what I wanted to say, and I even had some stuff written down, but George was a such a good friend.   It was just surreal being there in the moment.  Basically came down to me saying that I loved him, he meant so much to so many people, he was so much like a father figure to me, I tell you it was hard being there.”

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