ALAN JACKSON
Name: Alan Jackson
Birth name: Alan Eugene Jackson
Born: 17 October 1958 Newnan, Georgia, U.S.
Alan Eugene Jackson (born 17 October 1958 in Newnan, Georgia) is an American
country singer-songwriter. 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.
Jackson was born in Newnan, Georgia with 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.
In 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. That year he was nominated for a
total of six Country Music Association awards (CMAs). 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".
In 1994 Jackson left his management company Ten Ten Management, which had
overseen his career up to that point, and switched to Gary Overton. He was
nominated for four 1994 CMAs, including Entertainer of the Year.
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").
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).
"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.
Ford 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.
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, if 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. He debuted the song at
the 2001 Country Music Association Awards.
Jackson was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame on October 22, 2001 in
Atlanta. At the 2001 CMA Awards, Jackson debuted the song "Where Were You
When the World Stopped Turning," a reflection on various reactions to the
September 11 attack. 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.
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".
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.
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)."
Alan Jackson's newest studio album, Good Time, is planned to be released on
March 4, 2008. The album's first single, "Small Town Southern Man," was released
to radio on November 19.
Name: Alan Jackson
Birth name: Alan Eugene Jackson
Born: 17 October 1958 Newnan, Georgia, U.S.
Alan Eugene Jackson (born 17 October 1958 in Newnan, Georgia) is an American
country singer-songwriter. 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.
Jackson was born in Newnan, Georgia with 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.
In 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. That year he was nominated for a
total of six Country Music Association awards (CMAs). 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".
In 1994 Jackson left his management company Ten Ten Management, which had
overseen his career up to that point, and switched to Gary Overton. He was
nominated for four 1994 CMAs, including Entertainer of the Year.
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").
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).
"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.
Ford 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.
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, if 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. He debuted the song at
the 2001 Country Music Association Awards.
Jackson was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame on October 22, 2001 in
Atlanta. At the 2001 CMA Awards, Jackson debuted the song "Where Were You
When the World Stopped Turning," a reflection on various reactions to the
September 11 attack. 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.
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".
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.
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)."
Alan Jackson's newest studio album, Good Time, is planned to be released on
March 4, 2008. The album's first single, "Small Town Southern Man," was released
to radio on November 19.