| Live at Dancetown U.S.A. | |
| Type: | Live |
| Artist: | George Jones and the Jones Boys |
| Cover: | Live at Dancetown U.S.A. george jones.jpg |
| Released: | 1987 |
| Recorded: | June 1965 |
| Genre: | Country |
| Label: | Ace |
| Prev Title: | Wine Colored Roses |
| Prev Year: | 1986 |
| Next Title: | Too Wild Too Long |
| Next Year: | 1987 |
Live at Dancetown U.S.A. is a live album by American country music artist George Jones. It was recorded in 1965 but was not released until 1987.
There are few live recordings of George Jones, particularly from his early days, which makes Live at Dancetown U.S.A. an interesting document. Recorded in June 1965 at a hall on Airline Drive in Houston during Jones's heyday in the Texas honky tonks, it shows the country star and his backing band the Jones Boys performing his biggest hits, including "White Lightning" and "She Thinks I Still Care," and offering between-song patter, such as when he tells the audience that he's taking a "liquor mission" halfway through the set. In addition to the Jones cuts, there are several instrumentals and nine songs performed by George's supporting vocalist Don Adams. Perhaps the biggest surprise in the set is the cover of the 1957 rock and roll song "Bony Moronie" by Larry Williams. Jones, who had recorded a handful of rockabilly sides early in his career with Starday, sounds less than enthusiastic as he introduces the number: "We had a request for a fast one. We usually don't do rock and roll numbers. I don't know but a verse of this one but we'll do it. It goes like this."
"Not only is the music superb -- on this date, the Jones Boys featured steel guitarist Buddy Emmons and Cajun fiddler Rufus Thibodeaux - but it illustrates exactly what a honky tonk concert was like in the '60s. For hardcore George Jones fans, it's an essential addition, one that's revelatory and highly entertaining."