20 Essential Albums Every Country Music Fan Should Own

15. George Jones - I Am What I Am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VExw77xJsBQ Key Tracks: He Stopped Loving Her Today, Good Hearted Woman, If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will) George Jones missed the second half of the seventies. He was without a hit in six years and had tarnished his reputation with his drunken behaviour and several no-shows by the time I Am What I Am came around in 1980. The album, lead by one of the greatest country songs ever, totally rejuvenated his career. He Stopped Loving Her Today is a bittersweet ballad about a man who never gives up on love until the day he dies (when the woman comes to his funeral to say goodbye). It gives you that lump-in-your-throat feelings and makes the hair on your neck stand up. Originally, Jones didn't want to record the song, figuring that it was too downbeat and that nobody would want to listen to it. It was a smash hit and became his most famous work. The other songs on the album, several of which reference his battles with alcohol, come together to form a marvellous record, the best of Jones' illustrious career.