“Til I Can Make it on my Own,” the No. 1 first released by Tammy Wynette in 1976, has been recorded in Spanglish as a duet by Texas country-rock artist Savannah Rae and Georgette Jones, Wynette’s daughter.
“I’m so excited that Mom’s song will now be heard by a whole new audience that speaks Spanish!” Jones posted on social media earlier this year. “It’s a beautiful mix of Spanish and English! And I’m honored to have been asked to sing a little bit on this track, too.”
Spanglish, Jones explained, is a hybrid language combining words and expressions from both Spanish and English.
The first single and title track from the album “Til I Can Make it on my Own,” the single, which was co-written by Wynette, Billy Sherrill and George Richey, was Wynette’s fifteenth No. 1 country release. It spent a total of 11 weeks on the country charts.
Jones, in a February telephone interview with Country Reunion News, expressed her gratitude that Rae chose “Til I Can Make it on my Own” for the first of Rea’s series of classics set to be recorded in Spanglish. Wynette often said it was her personal favorite and performed it at her concerts throughout her career. Jones was busy the day of the interview preparing for a film crew to arrive at her Alabama farm to shoot the song’s video, which turned out to be a great experience for both Jones and Rae.
“Well, y’all, I got to have fun today making a video with the very talented Savannah Rae for her remake of Mom’s ‘Til I Can Make it on my Own’,” she posted the following evening. “She’s as sweet as she is talented, and I’m thankful she wanted to do this song. How cool is it that it will be heard by a new generation and some of it in Spanish, too?”
Rae commented in response, “Thank you so much for the kind words and for being a part of this project! Having so much fun collaborating with you [and] excited to see the finished product soon!”
Jones may be the daughter of two of the most famous recording artists in history, but talking with her on the phone is like talking with an old friend. The conversation started with the Spanglish recording, but soon it covered her thoughts on the recent “George and Tammy” Showtime series based on her book “The Three of Us: Growing up with Tammy and George,” which she felt was well-acted and well-produced.
“I was even in the last episode as a backup singer,” she said.
No stranger to acting, Jones had a part in four episodes in the 2008 TV series “Sordid Lives,” working alongside some beloved performers who are now gone, including Leslie Jordan, Olivia Newton-John and Rue McClanahan. Jones re-recorded three of her mom’s songs that were included on the series’ soundtrack.
A singer-songwriter, Jones was a registered nurse for 17 years before she returned to the country music career she’d begun as a child that included recording her first duet, “Daddy Come Home,” at age 10 with her father. She’s raised her twin sons from her first marriage and is enjoying her 50s with husband and pedal steel guitarist Jamie Lennon, who – although from the United Kingdom – is no relation to John Lennon, Jones confirmed with a laugh.
Jones said she has a very full year planned with concerts already scheduled for venues in Texas, Virginia, Georgia and Florida.
June 7-14, she’ll be in Italy for an intimate event for which tickets are now on sale to the public. Guests will tour Rome, the Vatican, Florence, Pompeii and Venice. The highlight will be a private concert with Jones in A Salute to George Jones and Tammy Wynette and with Twitty & Lynn – Tre Twitty, grandson of Conway, and Tayla Lynn, granddaughter of Loretta – for A Salute to Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn.
When she is not writing, recording or performing, Jones enjoys spending time with her sisters and, surprisingly, playing video games.
“Who would’ve thought I’d be an online streaming gamer at this point in my life, right?” she said, adding that she’s found a relaxing pastime she enjoys that also offers another way to connect with fans and the country music community.
Visit georgettejones.net for more information.
story by Claudia Johnson