Jake Brennan

He thought again about New York City and the collection of fancy college-educated critics from the magazines sitting in the front row.

There was no way in hell he was going to make this trip.

George crumpled the plane ticket and tossed it into the trash.

Then, just like when he was a boy, he eased the window open, crept out onto the porch, and made a mad dash for his truck in the parking lot, leaving Rick and his record label and the plans for New York City behind him.

A few days later, on September 6th, a group of journalists, including Dan Rather and Walter Cronkite, plus half the cast of Saturday Night Live and many other celebrities were packed themselves into the bottom line.

George's band, the Jones Boys, were there, and the team from George's record label, Epic Records, was there too.

But George Jones was nowhere to be seen.

In fact, no one would find him for another two weeks before he washed up in a cheap motel in Florida.

Even though George Jones never even showed up for the gig at the bottom line, it ended up having the effect that his label had hoped for.

Instead of being just another performer, his no-show made George Jones a legend.

There were dozens of media reports about this real-life rebel who did as he pleased and didn't give a damn what anyone cared.

Just two months later, he was voted Country Artist of the Year in Rolling Stone's year-end critics poll.

But while the legend of George Jones was growing stronger, so were the voices whispering in his ear.

Those voices wanted more, more cocaine, more whiskey, and more control of George's body, of George's mind, of George's voice.

And within a year, they would try to seize control permanently.

George Jones eased his car to a stop beneath a massive pair of longleaf pines.

From the passenger seat, the old man looked at George, and he shook his head in disgust.

He raised up the .38 revolver in his hand to remind George why they were there.

George stared back, but he just turned the keys and cut the car's engine.

From the silence, a voice piped up from the back seat and told the old man to shut the fuck up.