Alan Jackson is a country singer and composer known for his “traditional country” musical style. He is most known for his songs “Chattahoochee” and “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning),” which he wrote in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Jackson has released 16 studio albums, three greatest hits albums, two Christmas albums, and two gospel music albums. He has received two Grammy Awards and sixteen Country Music Association Awards during his career.
Early Life
Jackson was born in Newnan, Georgia on October 17, 1958. Joseph, his father, was a mechanic at the Ford Motor Company assembly plant, and Ruth, his mother, was a nutritionist and school cafeteria manager. Jackson grew up in rural Georgia, where he resided in a house constructed around his grandfather’s old toolshed with his parents and four elder sisters. Jackson came to Nashville, Tennessee, shortly after marrying his high school love, Denise, in 1979, to pursue a career in music.
Career
He ultimately earned a recording contract with Arista Records after a long string of rejections. The phenomenal success of Jackson’s debut album, Here in the Real World (1990), marked his entry into a group of country artists that included Randy Travis, Clint Black, Travis Tritt, Garth Brooks, and Vince Gill, and represented a new brand of traditionalism in country music and the end of the synthesized pop-country trend of the 1980s.
Jackson, an exceptional songwriter, authored much of his first album, which spent more than a year on the country charts in the United States. Don’t Rock the Jukebox (1991) and A Lot About Livin’ (and a Little ‘Bout Love) (1992) were even larger hits, each generating five No. 1 singles. “Love’s Got a Hold on You,” “Midnight in Montgomery” (Jackson’s tribute to famous country musician Hank Williams), and “Chattahoochee” were among the notable singles. Jackson’s record sales surpassed 10 million with the publication of his fifth album, Who I Am, in 1994.
Jackson has received over 45 accolades from organizations like as the Academy of Country Music (ACM) and the Country Music Association (CMA) over the course of his career. He received eight major accolades, including CMA Entertainer of the Year, after releasing his Greatest Hits album in 1995. High Mileage (1998), Under the Influence (1999), and When Somebody Loves You (2000) were later albums.
Grammy and others
Jackson won his first Grammy Award for Best Country Song for “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” a song mourning those killed in the September 11th terrorist attacks. He won four CMA Awards that year, tying Johnny Cash for the most in a single year. Precious Memories, his 2006 gospel CD, was originally recorded as a gift for his mother. What I Do (2004), Good Time (2008), and Angels and Alcohol (2015) are some of Jackson’s latter releases.
Wife and Children
In 1998, USA Today reported that he and his wife, Denise, had divorced. They reconciled later that year and reaffirmed their marital vows on their 19th wedding anniversary. Mattie, Alexandra, and Dani are the couple’s three daughters.