The song of the Day: “White Lightning” and Other Favorites, is by George Jones. Jones released his seventh studio album White Lightning on May 26, 1959. “White Lightning” went at #1 on the country charts in 1959. The album is one of Jones’ better ’50s-era recordings. This country album was quite successful in 1959 and charted high.

Interesting Fun Facts

• Even George Jones remembers April 13, 1959 because he scored his first No. 1 hit on that date.
• The 1959 album was titled “White Lightning.” His good friend of the Big Bopper’s, JP Richardson (nicknamed the Big Bopper), wrote the song and recorded just one week.
• During the “White Lightning” recording session, Buddy Killen played upright bass and produced the session.
• In the autobiography in 1995 called I Lived to Tell It All, Jones describes the struggle he had when recording “White Lightning” since he was drunk on his arrival at the recording session.
• They recorded eight studio albums and eight Top 10 debuts during “White Lightning” song completion.
• It held the #1 spot on the Billboard charts for five weeks after it was released.
• Hank Williams Jr. and the punk band the Fall have both recorded “White Lightning,” as both did for their respective albums “Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound” (1979) and “Shift-Work” (1991).
• Sammy Kershaw published the album that covered George Jones in 2014, and it featured the “White Lightning” song as well.

Lyrics

(Musixmatch)

Well in North Carolina way back in the hills me and my old pappy and he had him a still

He brewed white lightnin till the sun went down

Then he’d fill up a jug and he’d pass it around

Mighty mighty pleasin my pappy’s corn squeezin (whew white lightnin)

Well the G men T men revenoers too searchin for the place where he made his brew

They were lookin tryin’ to book him but my pappy kept on cookin

(Whew white lightnin)

Well I asked my old pappy why he called his brew

White lightnin stead of mountain dew

I took a little sip and right away I knew

And my eyes bugged out and my face turned blue

Light has started flashin thunder started krashin (whew white lightnin)

Well the G men T men…

Well a city slicker came and he said I’m tough

I think I want to taste that powerful stuff

He took one slug and he drank it right down I heard him moanin’ as he hit the ground

Mighty mighty pleasin you’r pappy’s corn squeezin (whew white lightnin)

Well the G men T men.