“He finished the song and I didn’t hit a single note” – George Jones remembers “singing” with Hank Williams during a 2006 interview

Imagine you see Hank Williams And George Jones sing together on stage.

Unfortunately, their careers only overlapped for a short time before Hank died in 1953. But George Jones, who began singing on the radio at age 16, grew up idolizing Hank Williams. And when he moved to KRIC Radio in Beaumont, Texas, he finally got the chance to meet his hero.

In a 2006 interview with legendary radio host Bill Cody, the Possum recalled a hilarious story about how he finally got to sing with Hank Williams – or at least he thought he would be able to:

“When I was a kid, I first met Hank at a radio station where he had time to sit down and talk to you for a few minutes.

He has to be the nicest guy I’ve ever met in my life. So down to earth, so honest. He wasn’t fake or anything.

He had a big hit back then called “Wedding Bells.” I wanted to play guitar with him on this radio show. Well, he had his guitar and just started singing…

And I’m standing there on the other side of the microphone – the microphone came out of the ceiling. And I’m standing there ready to go, and instead he starts singing. Well, that caught me off guard. You know, I had been rehearsing and rehearsing.

And then it turned out he had finished the song and I hadn’t hit a single note. Not a single note. I just stared at him and was amazed.”

I’m sure Jones wasn’t too upset that Hank never let him get a word in edgewise, since he was, after all, sitting front row (or more accurately, on stage) at a performance by his hero and country music legend.