By most accounts, George Jones (born George Glenn Jones September 12, 1931 in Saratoga, Texas, died April 26, 2013, in Nashville, Tennessee), was the finest vocalist in the recorded history of country music. Initially, he was a hardcore honky tonker in the tradition of Hank Williams, but over the course of his career he developed an affecting, nuanced ballad style. In the course of his career, he never left the top of the country charts, even as he suffered innumerable personal and professional difficulties.