A nod to a country music great turned into a high-pressure performance for Ernest at the Grand Ole Opry. Ernest takes pride in guiding his modern country music fans to the legends of yesteryear. The “Flower Shops” singer recently spoke about that during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show, and he more recently put it into practice while performing at the Grand Ole Opry. Ernest was a part of Opry lineup that helped celebrate Jelly Roll being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry as an official member. In a video that Ernest recorded while walking around what looks like the Nashville Airport, the country music artist and prolific songwriter shared a story from the night. He first explained that he generally likes to cover a country classic when he performs in the historic circle, and revealed that he decided to go with a George Jones hit during his latest Opry appearance. The song selection led to a run-in backstage that Ernest never expected: “A little Opry story for you. Last night, we did the Grand Ole Opry inducting Sir Jelly Roll as the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry. Anytime I play the Opry, I make sure to play at least one country golden classic. Last night, I took the tall order upon myself to play ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today.’ When I was sound checking with the band beforehand, in the little nook backstage, I finished, I walked around the corner, and Mrs. Nancy Jones was standing right there… George Jones’ widow.” Talk about pressure. Nancy Jones and George Jones were married in 1983, and stayed together until “The Possum” died on April 26, 2013 at the age of 81. She’s still very connected to the country music scene, and Nancy apparently didn’t want to miss Jelly Roll’s big moment. In doing so, she also got to hear one of her late husband’s biggest songs echo through the Opry. Ernest went on to say that he was very nervous to perform the track once he knew Nancy was there, but he went through with it anyways… and got a thumbs up afterwards: “She was standing right there with tears in her eyes, and she gave me a hug and said, ‘That song has always made me cry.’ I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m so glad I didn’t know you were there the whole time. I would have been freaking out.’ But then I had to go up in front of everybody at the Opry knowing she was standing side stage. And I got the thumbs up from Mrs. Nancy Jones. There’s a Nashville Opry story for you.” View this post on Instagram How cool is that? And as if Ernest needed any more reassurance after his “He Stopped Loving Her Today” cover, Nancy Jones left a comment below the country music star’s post through the official George Jones social media account: “How sweet! Love you honey!” You love to see modern country music stars tipping their cap to the greats of the genre. Ernest arguably does it better than anyone else.The post Ernest’s “He Stopped Loving Her Today” Cover Got The Nod Of Approval From George Jones’ Widow first appeared on Whiskey Riff.