A Month Before His Death, George Jones Gives Remarkable ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ Performance
on Apr 24, 2024 • Updated Aug 13, 2024
Folks in the audience at George Jones’ concert in Chattanooga on March 22, 2013, will never forget what they saw that day. It became one of his last performances, as he sadly passed away just 35 days later on April 26, 2013.
RIP George Jones. Death of a country music legend :(. pic.twitter.com/xLvAGcaic2
— Tressa Robbins ✨ (@tressalynne) April 26, 2013
On August 14, 2012, Jones announced a farewell tour, titled The Grand Tour, and was supposed to conclude in Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena on November 22, 2013. His health had been declining over the past couple years, but wanted to give his final farewell to his fans.
Less than a month after his March 22nd Chattanooga concert, he was admitted to the hospital for a fever and irregular blood pressure, and passed away a few days later from hypoxic respiratory failure at 81 years old. His sudden death made his final concerts all the more special.
RELATED: Vince Gill Cries While Singing “Go Rest High” At George Jones’ 2013 Funeral
While introducing his now-iconic song “Tennessee Whiskey,”Jones spoke a little about the rough life he lived, and how he’d been sober for almost 20 years.
“I haven’t drank or smoked for 17 years now, and I know a lot of them out there still don’t believe it,” he told the crowd. “But anyhow, it happened and what a wonderful life. You find out what you got after all the fun. Here’s my favorite drinkin’ song, it goes like this.”
Jones sat on a stool, tapping his toe to the beat and sang his heart out. Although we now know that his health was declining, he put everything he had into this performance. You could tell he was trying extremely hard to hit the higher notes, even though he struggled a little bit.
A newer version of “Tennessee Whiskey,” thanks to Chris Stapleton has become quite popular in recent years.
Jones’ version is a classic and truly one-of-a-kind. Watch this memorable performance below.
