Earl Montgomery Peanutt was one of the songwriters for the late George Jones. George Jones was an acclaimed country music singer.
Montgomery co-wrote more than 73 songs for Jones in his illustrious career in country music that spanned from 1953 until 2013 when he sadly passed away.
George Jones was one of the first country musicians to achieve international fame for his hit records. His most famous one is the single “He Stopped Lover Her Today” from his 1980 album, I Am What I Am.
Though heavily lauded in his time, Jones suffered from alcoholism and tenacious behavior that often landed him in hot water. However, his relationship with songwriter Earl Peanutt Montgomery was solid, despite a surprise shot fired by the singer to his songwriter.
Sadly, during the late 2010s, the relationship between Montgomery and Jones’ estate suffered due to some trouble with a long-lost album the two had worked on.
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Earl And George Relationship
Earl Montgomery Peanutt had a long history with George Jones. Earl Peanutt Montgomery was George Jones favorite producer.
Jones recorded 73 songs Montgomery co-wrote for him, most of which were successes. One can say that Montgomery has as much of a hand in Jones’s success as Jones himself.
However, when speaking of their relationship, many contemporary publications highlight one incident in the late 70s.
One day, as the two were driving in separate cars, Jones asked Montgomery to roll his windows down. The songwriter complied, only to have Jones shoot at him.
Thankfully, Jones missed and then pulled the trigger back. Strangely enough, the singer mentioned that he’d return to the house, rolled his windows up, and drove off.
Bewildered, Montgomery went to the Sheriff’s office and told him what had happened. Thankfully, as Jones was his friend, he didn’t press charges.
Despite this being the most famous story, Montgomery and Jones had a long and fruitful career that led to so much music that some even had to be shelved.
Earl And George Estate Lawsuit
Earl launched a lawsuit against the George Jones Estate in 2018. Earl Peanutt Montgomery’s lawsuit was about a record.
According to the lawsuit, Jones and Montgomery had worked on an ambitious project back in the 70s where Jones would collaborate with Roy Acuff’s Smoky Mountain Boys on an album.
The singer had wanted Montgomery to produce and own the album to serve as a retirement package celebrating the years of friendship the two shared.
Sadly, the project was eventually shelved as other projects took precedence in George Jones’ life. The project was then long forgotten.
Cut to over 30 years later, after Jones passed away in 2013, his wife, Nancy Jones, reached an agreement with Concord, the owner of Rounder Records, to sell the late singer’s intellectual property for over $30 million.
The long-lost album that Jones and Montgomery had worked on fell into this bundle. Concord released the album in 2017 without paying Montgomery a cent, despite him having produced the original recordings.
So, to the right this great wrong, Montgomery sued George Jones’ widow Nancy alongside Concord records. Montgomery settled the lawsuit a year later, in August 2019.
Where Is Earl Now?
Earl Montgomery Peanutt is still alive a decade now since the world lost George Jones. Earl currently resides in Sheffield.
Peanutt lives a quiet life with his wife, Charlene, managing and operating his recording studio, Sweetwater Recording Studio. The aged songwriter uses his recording studio to give up-and-coming singers and songwriters a chance.
He also runs the Earl Peanutt Montgomery Music Museum alongside his wife. The museum is a treasure trove of memorabilia and trinkets from his almost half a century of work in the music business, like records and posters.
Earl also owns and shows off many items that originally belonged to George Jones owing to his museum’s success as it caters to an audience that longs for the sweet nostalgia of late 20th-century Country music excellence.
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