Heartbreak Hotel

Includes extremely rare recordings, unreissued on CD or LP! Also includes the #1 country hits Why Baby Why and White Lightnin'!

At 81, George Jones has enjoyed the status of world's greatest living country singer for more than half-century. Much of that reputation is rooted in raw, emotional ballads, such as He Stopped Loving Here Today, The Grand Tour, Walk Through This World With Me, She Thinks I Still Care, and Tender Years.

But that's only one part of the story. Jones was no less masterful on hotter material starting with his first hit, Why Baby Why. This collection includes that first hit as well as rarities, obscurities, and shoulda-been-hits like No Money In This Deal, Too Much Water, Tall Tall Trees (written by Roger Miller and later a #1 hit for Alan Jackson), Nothing Can Stop Me and That's The Way I Feel, Revenooer Man (written by Donny Young, aka Johnny Paycheck), Who Shot Sam, and Sparkling Brown Eyes. And then there's Jones' only major pop hit (and #1 country hit) White Lightnin' (written by the Big Bopper).

There's more! STARDAY RECORDS coerced Jones into recording several rockabilly classics under the name of Thumper Jones: Rock It and How Come It. Short of cash, Jones also covered other artists' hits for Starday's budget-priced series of Dixie EPs. These included Heartbreak Hotel and Johnny Horton's I'm A One-Woman Man (a 1988 hit when George re-recorded it for EPIC). The wilder side of Jones's life is well known; this collection assembles 35 of his most aggressive performances from STARDAY and MERCURY...many of them featuring the classic east Texas honky tonk sound. Plus, there's a rare radio spot from his STARDAY years, notes by Rich Kienzle, and a detailed discography.