Alan Jackson Bio
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Alan Jackson BioThis Alan Jackson biography contains information believed to be accurate as extracted from sources around the internet including Wikipedia. If you believe there are errors or omissions in this Alan Jackson bio, please let us know so that we can correct any inaccuracies.
Alan Eugene Jackson (born 17 October 1958 in Newnan, Georgia) is an American country singer-songwriter who has sold over 40 million records. He was influenced by the new traditional country of the 1980s, and he was one of the most popular country singers of the 1990s, blending both honky tonk and mainstream country sounds and penning many of his own hits. His success continued into the 2000s and his music became increasingly counterposed with that of more mainstream country acts that were moving toward a more pop music sound. He is the recipient and nominee of multiple awards. He was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2001. Alan Jackson: Early lifeJackson was born to Eugene Jackson and Ruth Musick in Newnan, Georgia and has four older sisters. As a youth, Jackson primarily listened to gospel music, and otherwise was not a major music fan. However, a friend of his introduced him to the music of Gene Watson, John Anderson and Hank Williams Jr. Jackson started a band after high school. After a time, he and his wife of six years, Denise, moved from Newnan to Nashville hoping to pursue music full-time. Alan Jackson: CareerIn Tennessee, Jackson got a job in The Nashville Network's mailroom. Denise got him connected to Glen Campbell, who helped him jumpstart his career. Jackson eventually signed with Arista. His first album, 1989's Here in the Real World, was a major hit, as was his second (1991) album, Don't Rock the Jukebox. His 1992 album, A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love) was a success, spawning five major singles. Also in 1992, Randy Travis charted three singles co-written by Jackson: "Forever Together", "Better Class of Losers", and "I'd Surrender All". Conversely, Travis co-wrote Jackson's single "She's Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues)". In 1994 Jackson left his management company, Ten Ten Management, which had overseen his career up to that point, and switched to Gary Overton. It was around this time that Jackson began also gaining fame for his song-writing skills. Other country music artists who have charted with songs co-written by Jackson, including Clay Walker ("If I Could Make a Living"), Chely Wright ("Till I Was Loved By You") and Faith Hill ("I Can't Do That Anymore"). Alan Jackson - Music"Alan Jackson: The Greatest Hits Collection" was released on October 24, 1995. The disc contained 17 hits, two newly-recorded songs ("I'll Try" and "Tall, Tall Trees"), and the song "Home" from his first album that had never been released as a single. With Jackson's release of Under the Influence in 1999, he took the double risk on an album of covers of country classics while retaining a traditional sound when a rock- and pop-tinged sound dominated country radio. When the Country Music Association (CMA) asked George Jones to trim his act to 90 seconds for the 1999 CMA awards, he decided to boycott the event. In solidarity, Jackson interrupted his own song and launched into Jones's song "Choices." After country music changed toward pop music in the 2000s, he and George Strait criticized the state of country music on the song "Murder on Music Row". The song sparked debate in the country music community about whether or not "traditional" country music was actually dead or not. Despite the fact that the song was not officially released as a single, it became the highest-charting nonseasonal album cut (not available in any retail single configuration or released as a promotional single to radio during a chart run) to appear on Hot Country Singles & Tracks in the Broadcast Data Systems era, beating the record previously held by Garth Brooks' "Belleau Wood." The duo were invited to open the 2000 Academy of Country Music Awards (ACMAs) with a performance of the tune. Rolling Stone commented on Jackson's style remarking, "If Garth and Shania have raised the bar for country concerts with Kiss-style production and endless costume changes, then Alan Jackson is doing his best to return the bar to a more human level." After the September 11, 2001 attacks, Jackson released "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" as a tribute. The song became a hit single and briefly propelled him into the mainstream spotlight. At the 2001 CMA Awards, Jackson debuted the song "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning". The performance was generally considered the highlight of the show, and Jackson's site crashed the next day from server requests. The song came to Jackson suddenly, and had not been scheduled for any official release, but the live performance began receiving radio airplay and was soon released as a single. Jackson released a Christmas album, titled Let It Be Christmas, October 22, 2002. Jeannie Kendall contacted Jackson to do a duet, and he suggested the song "Timeless and True Love". It appeared on her first solo album, released in 2003. Alan Jackson's newest studio album, Good Time, was released on March 4, 2008. The album's first single, "Small Town Southern Man," was released to radio on November 19. Alan Jackson: Awards, nominations and induction into the Georgia Music Hall of FameIn 1989 he was nominated for a total of six Country Music Association awards (CMAs). He was nominated for four 1994 CMAs, including Entertainer of the Year. Jackson was the most nominated artist at the 29th annual TNN/Music City News Country Awards that was broadcast June 5 from the Grand Ole Opry House. His six nominations included best entertainer, male artist, vocal collaboration, album, single, and video (two nominations in this category). At the 2002 CMAs, Jackson set a record for having the most nominations in a single year - ten - many rising from the song ""Where Were You". It also brought his career total up him the second number of nominations ever, after George Strait. "Where Were You" also was nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year. The song was also subsequently parodied in the South Park episode "A Ladder To Heaven". At the 2003 Academy of Country Music Awards, Jackson won Album of the Year for Drive and Video of the Year for the video to "Drive (For Daddy Gene)." Jackson was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame on October 22, 2001 in Atlanta. Alan Jackson: Ford trucks endorsementFord agency J. Walter Thompson USA in Detroit, in 1997, worked out with Jackson a multimillion-dollar, multi-year contract for his sole endorsement of Ford trucks. In his video for "Who's Cheatin' Who?" he was behind the wheel of a "Big Foot" Ford F-150 pickup truck, and Ford's five Nascar vehicles (at the time) were prominently featured. Additionally, he changed the lyrics "crazy 'bout a Mercury" of the song "Mercury Blues" to "crazy 'bout a Ford truck" in a TV ad for the Ford F-series. Alan Jackson: TouringJackson headlined the 1995 Fruit Of The Loom Comfort Tour, a deal worth $40 million. It began January 20 in New Orleans and ran for a hundred dates. Alan Jackson's 2004 concert tour launched January 23 in Fort Myers, Florida and was sponsored by NAPA Auto Parts in a deal that included Jackson's endorsement in TV spots. The tour included more than 50 U.S. dates. Martina McBride was the opening for some of the shows. Alan Jackson: BandAlan Jackson's backup band (since 1989) is "The Strayhorns". The current line-up of musicians is:
Alan Jackson: Personal lifeJackson married his high school sweetheart, Denise Jackson, on December 15, 1979. He is the father of three daughters: Mattie Denise (born June 19, 1990), Alexandra Jane "Ali" (born August 23, 1993), and Dani Grace (born August 28, 1997). They named their home on Center Hill Lake "Real World", since it is the real world when contrasted with his showbiz life; they sold the property in 2001. The couple separated for several months in 1998 due to the strains of Jackson's career; they have since reconciled. Their story is referenced in one of Jackson's most famous songs, "Remember When". Denise and their daughters appear in the accompanying video. Denise Jackson wrote a book relating her life with Jackson, their relationship, separation, and recommitment to each other, and her commitment to Christianity, titled It's All About Him, which was published in 2007. Jackson's nephew, Adam Wright, is also a country music singer-songwriter. Adam and his wife, Shannon, perform together as a duo called The Wrights. The Wrights co-wrote two songs and sang harmony vocals on Jackson's What I Do album. |
