Cold Hard Truth

• Would be the first worldwide release on vinyl
• A critical and commercial comeback country classic
• Would be remastered for maximum fidelity and cut from the original source tapes.
• Would feature deluxe packaging and be individually numbered/limited to a one time pressing

Biography

George Jones was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song, “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” as well as his distinctive voice and phrasing. For the last two decades of his life, Jones was frequently referred to as the greatest living county singer. Jones has been called “The Rolls Royce Of Country Music” and had more than 160 chart singles to his name from 1955 until his death in 2013. Born in Texas, Jones first heard country music at the age of seven and was given a guitar at the age of nine. His earliest influences were Roy Acuff and Bill Monroe, although the artistry of Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell would help to crystalize his vocal style. In 1959 Jones recorded “White Lightning,” written by J.P. Richardson, which launched his career as a singer. His first record, the self-penned “No Money In This Deal,” was recorded on January 19, 1954 and appeared on Starday Records, beginning Jones’ association with producer and mentor, H.W. “Pappy” Daily. His first hit came with “Why Baby Why” in 1955. That same year he met and played shows with Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. Johnny Cash once said, “When people ask me who my favorite country singer is, I say, “You mean besides George Jones?” Jones was first invited to sing at the Grand Ole Opry in 1956. Jones moved to Mercury Records in 1957 and teamed up with singer Jeanette Hicks, the first of several duet partners he would have over the years. He cut the top 10 single, “Yearning.” Starday merged with Mercury and Jones scored high marks on the charts with his debut Mercury release of “Don’t Stop The Music.” One aspect of Jones’ early career that might get overlooked is his success as a songwriter as he wrote or co-wrote  many of his biggest hits during this period, such as “window Up Above,” Seasons Of My Heart,” Just One More,” You Gotta Be My Baby,” Color Of The Blues,” and “Tender Years.” Jones signed with United Artists in 1962 and immediately scored one of the biggest hits of his career, “She Thinks I Still Care.” Jones scored only one more number one hit in the late 60s with “Walk Through This World With Me,” and the remainder of the 60s and 70s saw a major decline in activity due to alcoholism and drug abuse. By 1980 Jones had not had a number one single in six years and critics had written him off until he stunned the music industry with his release of the song, “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” which went on to become one of the greatest country songs of all time, along with “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” by Hank Williams and “Crazy” by Patsy Cline. He earned the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1980. The Academy of Country Music awarded the song Single Of the Year and Song Of The Year in 1980. It also became Country Music Association’s Song Of the Year in both 1980 and 1981. The song led CBS to renew Jones’ recording contract and sparked new interest in the singer. He was the subject of an HBO tv special which had him performing songs with Waylon Jennings, Elvis Costello, Tanya Tucker and Tammy Wynette. Mostly sober for the rest of the 1980s due to the positive influence of his new wife, Nancy Sepulvado, Jones consistently released albums, including Shine On, Jones Country, You’ve Still Got A Place In My Heart, Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes and Wine Colored Roses. Cold Hard Truth was the 56^th studio album by Jones and was released on June 22, 1999 on Asylum Records. Cold Hard Truth was released only three months after Jones was involved in an accident when he crashed his car near his home. The near-death crash was a significant turning point in his life and with his relationship with drugs and alcohol abuse. This was his first album after leaving MCA Nashville and was produced by Keith Stegall. Its most popular song was “Choices,” a confessional ballad tailor made for Jones to sing. The song got radio play and eventually won Jones the Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance that year. After the years of country radio indifference, Cold Hard Truth was released to raves and shot to number 5 on Billboard’s country albums chart, the first of his albums to do so since Wince Colored Roses in 1986. It even hit #53 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. It was eventually certified gold.