News for North Texas
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Texas Dad Becomes Internet Sensation With His Cover of 'Tennessee Whiskey'

Kris Jones/Facebook
The video of Kris Jones (right) singing "Tennessee Whiskey" has gone viral. The video was shot by his 15-year-old daughter (left).

Five stories that have North Texas talking: video of Alvarado dad singing goes viral; Cowboys play Green Bay in Arlington on Sunday; 'Mad Men' archives move to UT Austin; and more.

A dad from Alvarado is making waves on social media with his rendition of “Tennessee Whiskey.”

The video of Kris Jones singing the Chris Stapleton hit is going viral, having racked up more than 19 million views on Facebook and Youtube combined since it was first posted on Facebook on Jan. 1.

In a Facebook Live video posted days later, Jones said he’s always wanted to sing.

"When I was younger, I sang in the church. I always wanted to sing, but just never really got the right opportunities to do so," Jones said. "So then I got a job. And I had kids, and I went to work. And that's what I've been doing."

Fans are urging Jones to try out for NBC’s reality show “The Voice,” but he said he had already auditioned for the show once before and was not accepted. Jones has also covered Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me,” which has hundreds of thousands of views on Facebook. [The Dallas Morning News]

  • The Cowboys face the Packers this Sunday in Arlington. The Cowboys are the top seed in the NFC divisional playoffs, and are coming off a first-round bye. Earlier in the season, Dallas defeated Green Bay 30-16, but the Packers managed to bounce back and win seven straight games heading into the playoff. The Cowboys believe they've got a good shot at advancing to the next round and inching closer to the Super Bowl — with high expectations for rookie quarterback Dak Prescott. They play at AT&T Stadium at 3:40 p.m. 

  • The archive for the acclaimed drama “Mad Men,” finds a new home at the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin.  The items were donated by Matthew Weiner, the series creator, executive producer, writer and director, as well as Lionsgate, which produced the show. The collection from the series’ 92 episodes includes costumes, props, scripts, screen tests, gag and demo reels, trailers and publicity material. A limited selection from the archive will be on view in the Ransom Center’s lobby through Feb. 1. [The University of Texas at Austin]

  • There are architects in Dallas who renovate and restore old buildings, despite the city’s reputation for building the shiny and new. That kind of architecture comes with very different challenges, says Marcel Quimby, a preservation architect. “I like country music because there’s a story in every song," Quimby says. "It’s kind of like buildings. I always try to find the story in every building and understand every building." Quimby has worked on structures in Fair Park, the old Municipal Building and the Dallas County Courthouse and Records Building. Read more in the latest Artist Spotlight. [Art&Seek]

  • Chuck Norris has launched a water bottling company at his Texas ranch in Navasota, promising minimally-filtered water that is smoother, crisper and cleaner than other bottled waters. The water for CFORCE comes from a natural aquifer deep under Norris’ Lone Wolf Ranch. According to the company’s website, “CFORCE doesn’t flow from the ground; it bursts from an artesian spring with the same unharnessed power and intensity you’d expect from Chuck Norris’ roundhouse kick.” Norris is donating a portion of his sales to environmental initiatives and KICKSTART KIDS, Norris' karate non-profit for at-risk youth. The water is currently available on Amazon; it will be sold at HEB stores starting this spring as well as in Randalls, Albertsons and Tom Thumb. [Houston Chronicle]