Louis Marshall Jones (1913–98,) known professionally as Grandpa Jones, was an American banjo player, guitarist, and “old-time” country and gospel music singer.
Born in Niagara, Kentucky, Jones began singing country music tunes on radio shows in his teens. At age 22, he earned the nickname “Grandpa Jones” because of his high-pitched on-air voice and his off-stage grumpiness at early-morning radio shows.
For over half a century, Jones was a popular member of the Grand Ole Opry, the weekly American country music concert in Nashville, Tennessee. His notable songs include “T For Texas,” “Are You From Dixie,” “Night Train To Memphis,” “Mountain Dew,” and “Eight More Miles To Louisville.”
Jones was featured on the long-running Hee Haw television program 1968 –93, where he frequently collaborated with fellow country comedienne Minnie Pearl. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1978.
Jones’s autobiography is Everybody’s Grandpa: Fifty Years Behind The Mike (1984.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Grandpa Jones
If food is your best friend, it’s also your worst enemy.
—Grandpa Jones
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