Ernest Sings “He Stopped Loving Her Today” With Legendary Harmonica Player Charlie McCoy
on Aug 29, 2024
During a recent show at the Grand Ole Opry, Ernest delivered a powerful cover of a George Jones Classic
On August 28, Ernest took the Grand Ole Opry stage to perform George Jones’ classic, “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” However, he didn’t sing the iconic song alone. To the surprise of everyone in attendance, legendary harmonica player Charlie McCoy joined him for the cover.
Ernest posted a video of their performance on his Instagram page, expressing how incredible it was to share the stage with such a music legend.
“Special night at the Opry. I got so sing ‘He stopped loving her today’ with Charlie McCoy playing the harmonica- he played with Jones on the RECORD and I couldn’t be more happy to have him by my side on stage last night.”
If you didn’t know, McCoy played harmonica on the original recording of “He Stopped Loving Her Today” over 40 years ago. His history as one of the greatest instrumentalists spans decades, contributing to classic tracks not only for George Jones but also for hits like “Candy Man” by Roy Orbison and “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool” by Barbara Mandrell.
McCoy has also performed on numerous recordings for music legends like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Bob Dylan. In fact, McCoy is credited with unknowingly influencing Dylan’s decision to come to Nashville to record the critically acclaimed 1966 album Blonde on Blonde.
About “He Stopped Loving Her Today”
“He Stopped Loving Her Today” by George Jones is widely regarded as one of the greatest country music songs of all time. Released in April 1980 as the lead single from his album I Am What I Am, the song marked Jones’s first solo No. 1 single in six years prior.
Written by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman, it has earned a legendary status in country music history. In recognition of its cultural significance, the song was preserved by the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry in 2008.
Watch Ernest and Charlie McCoy perform “He Stopped Loving Her Today” at the Grand Ole Opry in the video below.
