On This Day in 1955, George Jones Recorded the Song That Became His First Hit Before Being Covered by Charley Pride, Waylon Jennings, and Roger McGuinn

On this day (August 27) in 1955, George Jones recorded “Why Baby Why” at Gold Star Studio in Houston, Texas. Released on the small Starday label, it quickly became a local hit. Then, it caught on nationally, giving Jones his first entry on the Billboard country chart. Soon after he released the song, other artists began covering it.

Jones had released a handful of singles by the time he went into the studio to cut his first hit. However, all of those sessions took place in makeshift recording spaces. For instance, he cut his debut single, “No Money in This Deal,” in producer Jack Starnes’ living room. Bill Quinn, an associate of Starday co-owner Pappy Daily, held the recording session for “You All Goodnight” in his living room. As a result, there is a noticeable jump in sound quality with “Why Baby Why.”

George Jones Co-Wrote a Country Standard

George Jones is hailed as the greatest singer in country music history. That’s fair. However, many fans forget that he was also a songwriter with several hits under his belt. For instance, he co-wrote “Tall, Tall Trees” with Roger Miller, which became a No. 1 hit for Alan Jackson. He also co-wrote “Why Baby Why” with his frequent writing partner Darrell Edwards.

Jones released the song as a single on September 17, 1955. It quickly became a hit on the Houston-based station KIKK. This led to the song getting national airplay. Eventually, it reached No. 4 on the country chart. There’s a chance it could have climbed higher on the chart. However, it was stifled by a cover.

Red Sovine and Webb Pierce released a duet version of “Why Baby Why” around the same time as the original caught on. They were both established artists who had the backing of Decca Records. As a result, their version reached No. 1.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1983, George Jones Earned His Final No. 1 by Dethroning the Legend Who Wrote the Song]

The song has since been covered by a long list of artists. Notably, Charley Pride took a live version of “Why Baby Why” to No. 1 in 1983. Hank Locklin, Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson, former Byrds frontman Roger McGuinn, and Patty Loveless are among the other artists who have taken on George Jones’ first hit.

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