White Lightning (George Jones song)

"White Lightning" is the title of a song written by the rockabilly artist J. P. Richardson, best known by his stage name, The Big Bopper. The song was recorded by American country music artist George Jones and released as a single in February 1959. On April 13, 1959, Jones' version became the first Number One single of his career. The song has since been covered by numerous artists.

Recording

In his 1997 autobiography, I Lived To Tell It All, Jones mentions the fact that the recording process of "White Lightning" was rather extremely lengthy and further elaborates on why it lasted so long. Jones arrived for the recording session under the influence of a great deal of alcohol and it took him approximately 80 takes just to record his vocals to the record producer's satisfaction. To make matters worse, Buddy Killen, who played the upright bass on the recording, was reported as having severely blistered fingers from having to play his bass part 80 times. Killen not only threatened to quit the session, but also threatened to physically harm Jones for the painful consequences of Jones' drinking.^[1]

Success

Jones' version of "White Lightning" was then released as a single, and reached Number One in April 1959, two months after the songwriter, rockabilly artist J. P. Richardson, was killed in the infamous plane crash along with fellow rockabilly artists Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.

Chart performance

References