The Possum

[Big Muddy rancher]

When you think of George Jones, several things come to mind: classic country hit maker, multiple industry award winner, ex-husband of the late Tammy Wynette, and, of course, those nicknames: 'The Possum' and 'No Show Jones.'

"When you're called 'The Possum' … it stays with me. There's no way I can ever live it down," George tells The Boot with a laugh. "T. Tommy Cutrer was a disc jockey. Everybody loved him. He was one of the old-timers on the all-night shows along with Ralph Emery, and those two got started calling me 'The Possum.'

"I had an album out with a side view of me with a crew cut. I was very young, and my nose looked more turned up, and I've got little beady eyes so I guess I did look like a possum! So they both laid into me and called me 'Possum,' and it got everywhere. There was no way I could stop that, so (I thought) I'll just have to live with that!"

'No Show Jones' was a nickname that also stuck with George for many years, due to his failure to show up to many of his concerts. The country icon has admitted that drugs became a bad habit that he let overshadow his career.

"I think about the dates that I missed, and I'll see those mamas and daddies and some grandkids walking down the old country dirt road … walking to town maybe a mile, and they've been saving their money for a couple months just to get there and to be let down … I guess that hurts me worse than anything else," George laments. "'No Show Jones' — I never did like that, but I played around with it with a song … made peace with it. I didn't think I'd ever live it down, but it's gotten so much better. [laughs] Nobody calls me 'No Show' any more."
'No Show Jones' Lyrics


Read More: George Jones Makes Peace With His Nicknames | http://theboot.com/george-jones-nickname/?trackback=tsmclip

http://theboot.com/george-jones-nickname/

 

[Faster horses]

Thanks BMR. I always wondered how he got the nickname "Possum."

 

[Richardd]

I have a neighbor woman that was raised in Jasper, Texas, She tells of Jones coming up from Beaumont on his motorcycle with the guitar strapped on his back to sing songs to her neighbor girl.
Back then the streets weren't paved and he would raise dust up thru the neighbor hood.
Of course, all the neighbor kids would go listen to him too.

 

[Soapweed]

I had the privilege of seeing George Jones perform at the Rosebud Casino, between Mission, South Dakota and Valentine, Nebraska. It was an outdoor concert on a beautiful summer evening, and he put on a great show. "White Lightning" and "The Race is On" are two of my favorite songs.