() It's been called the greatest country song of all-time - labelled as such many times over - and today it arrives for all to experience like never before. Today, the Grand Ole Opry (in conjunction with Virgin Music Group) releases a live version of "He Stopped Loving Her Today"...as a never-before heard duet by George Jones and Alan Jackson.
The event is a full-circle moment - the kind only the revered circle of the stage of the Grand Ole Opry could create. Jones' live performance of the song on the Opry stage in 1993 gives way partway through to Jackson's emotion-laden take on the classic delivered at Jones' funeral in 2013, where he performed the legend's signature song at the end of the service.
It's a woven tapestry of two iconic voices delivering a song as only they can - one of the many special tracks to be found on the upcoming album, OPRY 100: Country's Greatest Songs. And it's an illustration - in lyric and performance - of two artists who shared a genuine mutual respect and admiration. Jackson cited Jones as an influence the minute he arrived on the scene...and the music he created prompted the legend to pen a now-famous note (displayed in the past at the Country Music Hall Fame and Museum, where both Jackson and Jones are enshrined) to Jackson thanking him for "Keepin' It Country."
OPRY 100: Country's Greatest Songs - the exclusive one-of-a-kind album commemorating 100 years of the Opry and featuring 20 never-before-released live recordings from its iconic stage - is the latest in a series of special releases and events celebrating the Opry's 100th year. Check it out here
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