Anniversary: Ten Years of Hits (CD - 1982)

Personnel: George Jones (vocals, guitar); James Taylor , The Oak Ridge Boys (background vocals).

Liner Note Author: Billy Sherrill .

Recording information: CBS Recording Studios, Nashville, TN.

In 1971, George Jones ended an eighteen-year relationship with producer and mentor H. W. "Pappy" Daily, leaving Daily's record label (Musicor) to join Epic Records. At Epic, Jones teamed with producer Billy Sherrill, who had overseen hit sessions for Tammy Wynette, among others. Sherrill's approach to production was more hands-on than Daily's, and Jones was soon making the first highly produced records of his career. The biggest hits produced during the first ten years of Jones and Sherrill's extremely successful collaboration are collected on ANNIVERSARY.

Sherrill hit on a simple and effective formula for Jones' sessions: find a good novelty song, a few first-rate heartbreakers, and enough decent songs to flesh out an album; then arrange smooth, inobtrusive backing tracks and lay Jones' amazing vocals on top. The results were neither as raw nor as visceral as Jones' early recordings, but they were great nonetheless. "He Stopped Loving Her Today" is the best example of Jones' style during this period: if you love that song (and who doesn't?), you'll find plenty to enjoy on ANNIVERSARY. Among the twenty-two hits here are "Her Name Isà," "A Picture of Me (Without You)," and "If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me." minimize