A Name From 1970’s Country Music History: Big Al Downing
It's one of those great classics that, when you hear it, you go 'Oh yeah, I do remember that. Who sang that?'
The song is called 'Mr. Jones' and the artist? Big Al Downing.
1978 was a year of great country hits, songs that are now classics and in some cases standards. The artists that dominated the charts are now legendary names. Lynn. Pride. Wynette. Twitty. Waylon. Willie.
And then this song came along, this song called 'Mr. Jones' and it muscled its way into the Top Twenty.
Big Al may be remembered as a one-hit artist but he had other hits that made the country chart. However he may be best remembered for rockabilly. In fact, he's a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. And in a five decade career, Big Al wrote songs recorded by legendary artists like Fats Domino, Bobby 'Blue' Band and Tom Jones. And there's a good chance that if you attended the Grand Ole Opry back in the day, you may have seen (and heard) Big Al. He was frequently a guest on that hallowed stage.
Big Al Downing passed away on July 4, 2005 from leukemia at the age of 65.
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