During his many decades in music, George Jones was able to enjoy one prolific career. His songs have been deemed as some of the greatest in country music history, especially “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”
In fact, “He Stopped Loving Her Today” is often declared to be the greatest country song of all time. No one has ever argued with that, and anyone who has heard Jones sing it would understand why.
During Jones’ 80th birthday celebration at the Grand Ole Opry, one country artist chose to honor him with “He Stopped Loving Her Today” and a collection of other songs. That artist was singer-songwriter Jamey Johnson, known for songs such as “In Color” and “High Cost of Living.”
But Johnson only sang Jones’ songs during his birthday celebration at the Opry. He put together a seamless medley of some of Jones’ hits, including his heartbreaking signature song.
When Jones announced his final tour in August 2012, he added some major star power to his final show on November 22, 2013. Johnson was one of the artists that was scheduled to appear on stage that day, as well as Randy Travis and Lorrie Morgan. But Johnson never got the chance to do so, because Jones passed away just a few months before his final show was scheduled.
All of these years later, and Johnson continues to honor Jones just as he did before. He performed a tear-jerking tribute to him during a concert in Lafayette, Indiana on July 7, 2016. Singing “He Stopped Loving Her Today” Johnson poured raw emotion into every second of his performance.
It’s obvious from this performance that Johnson had a great admiration for Jones, and still does. We’re glad that he’s keeping his legacy alive by performing his classic songs such as “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”
Scroll down below to catch Johnson’s stirring performance of Jones’ signature piece.