COUNTRY MUSIC PRINCESS

Georgette Jones

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GEORGETTE JONES

Tamala Georgette Jones, aka Country Music’s First Princess, is quite simply a unicorn! She is the only progeny of two country music legends and Hall of Famers, Tammy Wynette and George Jones. As a second-generation country artist, she has been stepping onto stages since the age of three, and at age ten, she performed "Daddy Come Home" with her father George Jones on his 1981 HBO TV Special, George Jones with a Little Help from His Friends. In addition to following in her parents’ famous footsteps as a recording artist, Jones confidently wears many hats as an author, writer/television producer, and a proud mother of two incredible twin boys both serving in the military.

As a vocalist, country fans will recall two milestone performances in honor of her parents. A year after Tammy Wynette's death, Georgette paid tribute to her mother on Mother's Day 1999 with the release of a song titled, "I Hope You Knew.” She later recorded the beautiful, "You and Me and Time" on the last George Jones album before his death, Burn Your Playhouse Down: The Unreleased Duets (2008). Georgette has carved out a performance career that includes dates at the Grand Ole Opry House, at the iconic Ryman Auditorium as well as a rigorous touring schedule.

In addition to singing and songwriting, Jones is also a revealing author. She wrote the highly acclaimed biographical book, The Three of Us: Growing Up with Tammy and George. The book reflects on life with her famous parents and is a candid inside glimpse into the workings of the country music industry. She reflectively considers her own life of sometimes incorrect turns while looking for true love, her need for home life, growing as a person, and continuing in her family’s musical tradition.

In 2022, Showtime anchored an original hit series about her parents, George & Tammy. Jones has writing credit for two episodes and was provided with creative control over how stories about her parents' often-tragic lives in Nashville are retold. A large part of the show derived from Jones’ book, and she also appeared as a backup singer in the final episode of the series. The limited series starred Oscar and Golden Globe winner Jessica Chastain and Oscar and Golden Globe nominee Michael Shannon.

For Jones, additional on-screen credits include appearances with Leslie Jordan and Olivia Newton-John in five episodes of the 2008 television series Sordid Lives as her mother Tammy Wynette. Jones sang on the soundtrack for the program, and as a solo artist, she has recorded five albums and has also collaborated with other artists, including duets with Billy Yates, Mark McGuinn, and Vince Gill.

Surprisingly, Jones found time to go to nursing school while raising her boys and served as a professional nurse and breadwinner, a career she found most rewarding. Most recently, she inked a deal for a signature Georgette Jones Apple Sin Whiskey and is busy creating a cookbook using this Kentucky product. She has also been in the studio with her husband, Jamie Lennon, completing a new project.

Georgette Jones shares a standout memory of the famous banana pudding that nearly left the Bandit himself, Burt Reynolds, in a peculiar situation. "Mom was known for this banana pudding and she once dated Burt Reynolds. They would end up deciding to be friends and stayed very good friends until she died. Burt often had issues with low blood sugar. He was staying at Mom's for a weekend, and he had not eaten anything that day. He said he could wait for dinner but had to have some banana pudding before he went to take a bath and get ready for dinner. He took a quick bite. Well, Mom noticed he was gone for a while and she began to worry; so, she knocked on the bathroom door but he never answered. She finally went on it and found Burt slumped down into the water nearly unconscious. Mom freaked out and struggled to get him out of the tub before getting some orange juice to get him out of the low-sugar episode. Well, when he felt better, she said he started laughing and asked her, 'Why didn't you just pull the drain open?' Mom advised that she was too panicked to think about that and instead instinct kicked in and she used all her strength to get him out of the tub. Without a doubt, that's one time he wished he hadn't been polite and selected to eat mom's pudding after dinner."

Enjoy this coveted banana pudding recipe, which was a signature dessert Tammy Wynette often took to appearances, meetings, and gatherings. It’s delicious!

Momma Tammy Wynette's

BANANA PUDDING RECIPE

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

Ingredients:

1 12-ounce box of vanilla wafers

2 ½ cups sugar

6 cups whole milk

6 bananas, sliced

1 cup self-rising flour

6 eggs, separated

1 teaspoon real vanilla

TIP: As a substitute for self-rising flour, use 1 cup allpurpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt.

Instructions:

1. Crumble enough vanilla wafers to cover the bottom of a 9" x 13" glass baking dish to 1-inch thickness. Set aside.

2. Combine flour and 2 cups sugar on top of a double boiler and mix thoroughly. Add egg yolks and gradually add milk to the mixture. Blend until smooth. Add vanilla and cook over simmering water at medium temperature until thickened, stirring continuously. Allow to cool to room temperature. Pour mixture over wafers and cover evenly with sliced bananas.

3. Preheat oven to 350º. Beat egg whites in a mixing bowl, gradually adding the remaining ½ cup sugar. Beat until stiff. Spread meringue over bananas and brown in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Jones loves traveling with her British hubby, a pedal steel player, gardening and generally nesting, and enjoying her family, friends, and fur babies. Follow her on social media at @georgettejoneslennon.