When "No-Show Jones" Showed Up at Church

By Jesse Owens

I still remember the first time I heard “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” It was one of the saddest songs I’d ever heard. It’s the story of a heartbroken lover who can’t get over the woman he loves and is estranged from. He reads over letters from a bygone era of their relationship and notes all of the times she wrote, “I love you.” The punch line of the song is powerful: it isn’t until he dies that he’s finally able to stop loving her.

Part of what makes the song so sad is that it’s descriptive of Jones’ own life: he was a self-professed alcoholic and drug user who married four times and divorced three. Jones garnered the nickname “No Show Jones” because of all of the shows he missed due to alcohol and substance abuse. This lifestyle is borne out in much of Jones’ music. Its predominant themes are substance abuse and heartbreak, followed by more substance abuse and more heartbreak. If you were to listen through “George Jones’ 16 Biggest Hits,” you’d be hard-pressed to find more than a few songs that don’t address these themes. George Jones’ life was one of incredible success but also one of deep heartbreak.

I didn’t start listening to Jones’ music until probably ten years ago. Part of what I find so alluring is that his music provides direct insight into the sorrow of sin. Russell Moore noted several years ago that even though George Jones’ music is filled with references to alcohol and cheating, it never glorifies them. In fact, his music really highlights the consequences of alcohol abuse and unfaithfulness. It’s this human element, this form of honest lament that draws the listener in.

George Jones’ Free Will Baptist Connection

Sometime last year, I was surprised to learn George Jones had a Free Will Baptist connection. The connection was with Tom Malone (always “Brother Tom” to me) and took place during his time as pastor of the First FWB Church in Florence, Alabama, where he served prior to becoming president of Welch College in 1990. The topic arose unexpectedly during a conversation with coworker David Williford. I’d known Tom Malone my entire life, but I’d never heard this story. He immediately called Brother Tom and verified the story. I was intrigued.

I eventually spoke with Brother Tom because I wanted to know more about his encounters with the legendary country star. The story involves two visits Jones made to the First FWB Church, several visits by Brother Tom to see Jones while he was in Florence, and the friendship of Peanutt and Charlene Montgomery.

Peanutt and Charlene Montgomery

Earl “Peanutt” Montgomery wrote over 70 songs for George Jones. He met Jones through his sister Melba, who had been a backup singer for Jones and also had an intimate relationship with him. Peanutt Montgomery and George Jones became the best of friends. Peanutt’s wife Charlene described them as being more like brothers than good friends. Peanutt occasionally had to wake up and bail Jones out of jail in the middle of the night. But Peanutt Montgomery had the same lifestyle as George Jones—regularly abusing alcohol to the displeasure of Charlene.

That changed, though, when Peanutt Montgomery was saved at First FWB Church in Florence, Alabama, in 1976. After his conversion, Montgomery’s life changed drastically. He couldn’t continue drinking with George like he had on so many occasions. Montgomery told a reporter in 2009: “I couldn’t live that life no more. I couldn’t do that and then try to preach.”

Montgomery wasn’t using “preach” in a metaphorical sense. He actually began traveling and preaching after he was saved. He wasn’t hesitant about talking to George Jones about the Lord. When I spoke with Montgomery on the phone, he recounted praying fervently with George Jones as tears rolled down Jones’ face. He even drove Jones up to the back of a tent revival one evening. As Jones heard the singing and then the invitation at the end, he got out of the car and fell on his knees in prayer. This wasn’t a conversion experience, but it was a sign of the great conviction Jones felt.

Tom Malone and First FWB Church, Florence, Alabama

Peanutt and Charlene became members of First FWB Church in Florence, Alabama. Because they desired to see Jones saved, they invited him to church. He did, in fact, attend services with them on several occasions. According to Tom Malone, George always came on Sunday evenings.
On the first Sunday evening Jones walked through the doors at the church in Florence, Stanley Outlaw, a Free Will Baptist pastor and theologian, was preaching. As Malone recalls, Jones was visibly moved and in tears during the invitation. He got up abruptly and walked out of the sanctuary. A similar experience occurred on at least one other occasion when Brother Tom was preaching. Undoubtedly, the Lord was working in Jones’ heart but to no avail.

Brother Tom visited Jones a few times at his house in Florence. During these visits, Jones was very careful not to let the conversation turn to spiritual matters. In an attempt to gain a hearing, Brother Tom played one of Jones’ favorite games: Aggravation. Peanutt recalls the three of them riding motorcycles together. But Jones was consistently resistant to the gospel or allowing Brother Tom to pray for him during their visits.

Jones moved away from Florence permanently in 1982, relocating to Nashville. Brother Tom became Welch College’s fourth President in 1990. I asked him if he ever interacted with Jones after moving to Nashville himself, but he did not. Their interaction was limited to the time in Florence when Brother Tom did his best to preach and share the gospel faithfully with Jones.

Faithful to the Gospel

I’m well acquainted with the ministry of Tom Malone. He was my mother’s childhood pastor. My father served as his associate pastor for over a decade. He’s been like a grandfather to me. No one is ever too important or too insignificant for Tom Malone. His life has always been marked by faithfulness to preaching and sharing the gospel message. I’m a product of his faithful witness.

George Jones died April 26, 2013. As I watched his televised funeral, I was deeply saddened as I considered the life he had lived. He seems to have been an embodiment of what Flannery O’Connor called “the Christ-haunted South.” He was aware of the gospel message. He knew he was a sinner but spent the majority of his life resisting the Lord. Peanutt Montgomery is convinced George Jones repented at the end of his life and believed the gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope so. Only the Lord ultimately knows.

What I find most moving in these accounts is the work of a faithful pastor who longed to see people—including George Jones and Peanutt Montgomery—repent of their sins and follow Jesus.

About the Writer: Jesse F. Owens serves as pastor of Immanuel FWB Church in Gallatin, Tennessee, and instructor and landscape manager at Welch College. This article appeared previously on the Helwys Society Forum: TheHSF.com.

1 Russell Moore, “George Jones: Troubadour of the Christ-Haunted Bible Belt,” https://www.russellmoore.com/2013/04/26/george-jones-troubadour-of-the-christ-haunted-bible-belt/; accessed February 11, 2019.

2 Charlene Montgomery and Earl Peanutt Montgomery, The Legend of George Jones (Monterey,CA: Heritage Builders Publishing, 2014), 37.

3 Brian Hughes, “Former George Jones Songwriter Left Fame Behind,” Times Daily, August 24, 2009; https://www.timesdaily.com/archives/former-george-jones-songwriter-left-fame-behind/article_8f48c6b7-d6fa-588f-8942-180fd66d4f11.html; accessed February 7, 2019.
4 Charlene Montgomery notes throughout her book on George Jones just how much he loved to play the game.