George Jones (born September 12, 1931), nicknamed The Possum, is an American country singer known for his distinctive voice and phrasing that frequently evoke the raw emotions caused by grief, unhappy love, and emotional hardship. He has had more individual songs than any other singer on the country charts but, according to a formula derived by Joel Whitburn, is second to Eddy Arnold in his overall ranking for hits and their time on the charts. Since at least the early 1980s he has frequently been referred to as "the greatest living country singer." Almost as often he is called "the Rolls-Royce of country singers." Frank Sinatra once called him "the second best white male singer." And as the scholar Bill C. Malone writes, "For the two or three minutes consumed by a song, Jones immerses himself so completely in its lyrics, and in the mood it conveys, that the listener can scarely avoid becoming similarly involved." Jones is often cited as the finest vocalist in the history of country music, his primary rival for this title being Hank Williams. Initially Jones was a hardcore honky-tonker in the tradition of Williams but over the course of his career developed an affecting, nuanced ballad style. In a career that has spanned 51 years, he has seldom left the top of the country charts, even as he suffered innumerable personal and professional difficulties. Only Eddy Arnold has had more Top Ten hits, and Jones has always remained closer to the roots of hardcore country than Arnold. In his earliest songs, Malone writes, his "searing emotional singing... was almost undisciplined in its passion, but one could hear the stylistic traits that have made him famous: the alternating low moans and high wails, the bending and lengthening of notes to almost incredible lengths, and the enunciation of words either with rounded, open-throated precision or through clenched teeth."
