.
Search
Email this articleE-mail this story  Discuss this articleWrite letter to editor  Discuss this articleOrder a classified ad
The mastery of George Jones

Northern fans flock to Alberta to see his farewell performance

Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Grande Prairie, Alta (Apr 04/03) - There was a strong magnetic pull from the South last week.

A phenomenon known as George Jones lured many Deh Cho residents from their homes to see his concerts in Edmonton and Grande Prairie, Alta.

Carl Lafferty was one of the fans to shell out $100 for a ticket and make the 10-hour drive from Fort Simpson to Grande Prairie. For him, it was worth every penny.

"It was amazing. It was one of the best shows I've ever seen ... he sings so loud and so clear," he said of the 71-year-old known as The Possum.

Lafferty grew up hearing Jones's music played by his relatives.

He's been singing his own renditions of those songs ever since.

In particular, he has a soft spot for Walk Through This World With Me.

There were several people from Fort Providence who made the trip to Edmonton to see the country legend at a packed Sky Reach Centre, where tickets went for $60. Pearl Leishman was in the sixth row.

"It was really good. It was worth going," she said.

Leishman's sister, who lives in Fort Smith, snagged eight concert tickets over the Internet.

"There were a lot of people from the North," she said.

Jones, who has been producing hit songs since the 1950s, belted out 15 of his classics in a set that lasted close to 90 minutes.

His performance of One Woman Man was the highlight for Leishman.

Nellie Norwegian and her husband, Albert, joined the rest of the audience in a standing ovation when Jones launched into his classic song, He Stopped Loving Her Today.

"It was awesome," she said.

Nancy Bonnetrouge made the trip to Edmonton with her husband, Joachim, and some other relatives.

She was overjoyed.

"I couldn't believe I was really at the concert. I just kept on pinching Joachim," she laughed.

"When we're travelling we listen to George Jones songs and we usually sing along with it. It was just like I was singing all through the concert."