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George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today” to be featured in Library of Congress historical archives

“The Sounds of American Culture” radio special to air nationwide this weekend on Public Radio International’s Studio 360 program

Nashville, TN – George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today” was selected by the Library of Congress’ National Recording Preservation Board 

"He Stopped Loving Her Today” George Jones (1980)

George Jones has said that he initially thought “He Stopped Loving Her Today” was too sad to be very popular, but, at one of the lowest points of his career and personal life, he made it one of country music’s defining and most enduring songs. Billy Sherrill’s restrained production highlighted the plaintive yet highly nuanced vocals that were the hallmark of Jones’ mature style, a style that stretched back to his days singing for tips in the streets of his hometown, Beaumont, Texas, in the 1940s.

Since 2002, the Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, with advice from the Library of Congress' National Recording Preservation Board, has named a limited number of recordings each year to the National Recording Registry for preservation. These recordings are considered “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” This is the fourth year of the series, where the first three years won the Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals at the International Radio Programming Festival.

Selections from the seventh annual registry exemplify the rich diversity of the nation's aural history. The series began the weekend of December 5/6, 2009 and will be available as podcasts at a later date.

George Jones – a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame – is a country music icon, frequently referred to as "the greatest living country singer".  A native of Beaumont, Texas, Jones began his career as a radio host and has successfully scored over 150 hits during his fifty-plus year career.   In 2008, Jones received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor.  Now in 2009, Jones continues to tour extensively in North America and overseas promoting his latest album, A Collection of My Best Recollection, exclusively through Cracker Barrel Music.

For more information on George Jones, please visit www.georgejones.com

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, is the world’s preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled integrated resources to Congress and the American people. Founded in 1800, the Library seeks to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, which bring to bear the world’s knowledge in almost all of the world’s languages and America’s private-sector intellectual and cultural creativity in almost all formats. Many of the Library’s rich resources and treasures may also be accessed through the Library’s award-winning Web site atwww.loc.gov and via interactive exhibitions on a new, personalized Web site at www.myLOC.gov.