Thursday's funeral revealed stories beyond the legends about the man Vince Gill says 'taught us all how to sing with a broken heart.'

The friends and fellow performers who spoke at George Jones' funeral repeated many of the well-known stories about the country singer's life. He once drove a mile and a half to a liquor store on a riding lawn mower. After years of battling alcohol and drug abuse, he finally turned around his life after a near-fatal 1999 auto accident. He could sing a country song like no one else who ever lived.

'He was more than a country singer, he was a country song,' said Face the Nation moderator Bob Schieffer, one of eight speakers at the funeral. 'And it was never an easy one.'
Thursday's service, which drew thousands of family, friends and fans to the Grand Ole Opry House, also revealed lesser-known stories about the man whom Charlie Daniels called 'the most imitated country singer of all time.' Some of the best takeaways:

Jones never got over being nervous on the Grand Ole Opry stage, especially those times when he was introduced by the late Roy Acuff.
Jones almost turned down his signature hit, He Stopped Loving Her Today, feeling that it was too sad.
Jones loved Raisin Bran but hated raisins. His wife, Nancy, would pick them out of his cereal for him.
Jones would get in his car and drive around town when he felt like he.