ALAN JACKSON

Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist
Given Name: Alan Eugene Jackson
When Born: October 17, 1958
Where Born: Newnan, Georgia
Married to: Denise, 1978
Children: Mattie, Ali and Dani


Alan and Mattie on his Parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary.



There have been many claimants for the mantle of Hank Williams' songwriting
legacy. Alan Jackson has proven himself to be supreme amongst those claimants.
His songs are straight ahead with a simplicity that makes you greet them as
welcome friends. He writes songs, sings songs and is Country through and through.
However, Alan Jackson didn't start in the time-honored way, struggling up the
ladder. He was 20 before he even thought of music as a career and began writing
songs after that.

Alan came from a loving, close-knit family with four older sisters and lived a
normal family life. Alan's early preoccupation was with cars. His father, Eugene, is
a mechanic and when Alan was 15, the two of them spent a year rebuilding a 1955
Thunderbird, which became Alan's first car. The family loved Gospel songs and
they all sang at church, but Alan never had any driving ambition to be anything. He
left school and went into the used-car business and also built some houses. He met
his wife when he was 17 and she got used to him buying and selling cars, boats and
motorcycles. He even once bought her a car part as a present. They married when
he was 20 and as he became increasingly bored with his life, he began sitting in
with local Country bands playing cover tunes.

He began to write some songs of his own, learning as he went along, and in 1985,
although he had never thought seriously of pursuing a music career, he decided to
sell his house and move to Nashville. Three people started a chain of events
toward this decision. The first was a school friend with ambition, who used to fly
small planes and realized his dreams to become an airline pilot. The second was his
wife Denise. She was a flight attendant and one day while waiting for a flight at
Atlanta Airport, she spotted Glen Campbell. She approached him and said, "Excuse
me, my husband's about to move to Nashville to be a singer/songwriter, what does
he need to do?" Glen gave her a card with his office address in Nashville.
Thus, Glen became the third person.

After moving to Nashville in 1985, Glen Campbell's office gave Alan advice and
he found a job in the mail room at TNN. Gradually, he began to support himself
by singing song demos, his Country voice being an asset. He eventually got a
songwriting deal and became a staff writer with Glen Campbell Music. He started
to learn how the business worked and put a band together and played some
one-nighters. He then acquired Barry Coburn as his manager and he and producer
Keith Stegall demoed some of Alan's own songs. This led to Alan being the first
act signed to the new-to-Nashville Arista label.

Alan's first album, "Here in the Real World", was released in March, 1990, and it
went Gold by September and Platinum by March, 1991. Although his first single,
"Blue-Blooded Woman", only reached the Top 50 in 1989, there were then three
consecutive Top 3 singles in 1990, namely "Here in the Real World", "Wanted" and
"Chasin' That Neon Rainbow". Some of Alan's awards for 1990 were: "Top New
Male Vocalist" from the ACM, Music City News Country Songwriters' Award,
"Song of the Year" for "Here in the Real World" (co-written with Mark Irwin), TNN
Music City News Country Awards "Album of the Year for Here in the Real World
and "Star of Tomorrow" Award, and Radio and Records' Country Radio Readers
Poll "Best New Male Artist," and Airplay Awards "Best New Male Artist". The
video released in November entitled "Here in the Reel World" was Certified Gold in
March, 1991, and Platinum in 1992.

What a beginning to his recording career! He toured extensively and even visited
England and Germany and had his picture on the USA Weekend cover and best of
all, his daughter Mattie Denise was born.

Alan continued his winning ways as 1991 unfolded. He again reeled off three
No.1's with "I'd Love You All Over Again", "Don't Rock the Jukebox" and "Someday".
He ended up the year with a Christmas record, "I Only Want You for Christmas",
which made the Top 50. The album "Don't Rock the Jukebox" was released in May,
1991, and it had gone Double-Platinum by August, 1992. The honors once more
poured in that year. The ACM made "Don't Rock the Jukebox" their "Single Record
of the Year" and the album, its "Album of the Year". Billboard No.1 Awards made
the single its "Top Country Single" and TNN Music City News Country Awards
named the album its "Album of the Year," and the single its "Single of the Year."
They also named Alan as "Male Artist of the Year." Country Gazette in Holland
named him "Most Promising Act" while the NSAI made him "Songwriter/Artist of
the Year." He also won the CMA's Entertainment Expo SRO Award for "New
Touring Artist of the Year." During 1991, Alan was made a member of the Grand
Ole Opry.

It would have seemed difficult to top 1991, but come 1992 and Alan did just that.
He started off with another No.1, "Dallas", and then had the momentous tribute to
Hank Williams "Midnight in Montgomery", which reached the Top 3. This was
followed by another No.1, Love's Got a Hold on You. He wrapped up the year
with yet another No.1, the highly infectious "She's Got the Rhythm (And I Got the
Blues)" which had a most delicious video that found favor on CMT. The song was
written by Alan and Randy Travis, who proved to be a revelation with their
co-writing skills. The 1992 album, "A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love)"
was released in October and went Gold on December 1, Platinum by December 3,
Double-Platinum in 1993 and Triple-Platinum in 1994. Alan's awards in 1992
included ASCAP making "Don't Rock the Jukebox" its "Country Song of the Year"
and the CMA making the wonderfully moody video for "Midnight in Montgomery"
its "Music Video of the Year".

In 1993, Alan started off the year with the Top 5 release "Tonight I Climbed the
Wall" and then followed it with what has been his biggest hit to date, "Chattahoochie".
The single stayed at No.1 for 4 weeks, crossed to the Pop Top 50 and was
Certified Gold. Alan's other chart records that year were: "Tropical Depression"
(a cut from the album, which only lasted in the Top 75 for 1 week), "Mercury Blues"
(Top 3) and "Tequila Sunrise" (Alan's track from the Giant Records album "Common
Thread: The Songs of the Eagles"). At year's end, Alan reached the Top 60 with the
title track of his seasonal album "Honky Tonk Christmas". The album was Certified
Gold in 1994.

Alan's awards in 1993 included: CMA "Single of the Year" and "Music Video of
the Year" (Chattahoochie); ACM "Song of the Year" and "Single Record of the
Year" (Chattahoochie) and "Album of the Year" (A Lot About Livin' (And a Little
'Bout Love) ). In 1994, Alan charted with "(Who Says) We Can't Have It All", which
reached the Top 5.

Alan tours with six band members, the Strayhorns, and a crew of twenty-three,
traveling in three buses with three tractor trailers hauling 35 tons of lighting,
equipment, video and a stage set. In an era when new artists come and go with
alarming speed, Alan Jackson is certain to be around as long as he wants to be.

1995 by Barry McCloud


Alan Jackson - Page 2---->THIS WAY!!




He has 3 daughters: Mattie, Ali, and Dani!
I am so pleased to announce that Alan and Denise are back "Living on Love" and renewed their wedding vows in December 1998. I had faith that this would turn out so wonderful. It just makes me so happy that I just want to run out and buy myself a red Ford truck, Alan. Alan's song"I'll go on loving you" sure has a lot of meaning to me now. Love you Alan and sincere congratulations ! I saw Alan in Vancouver, BC on Nov. 5, 1998 and got up at 3 am to get good floor seats, 8th row floor, not bad!!!! Best seats yet.I love all your songs on "High Mileage Alan but some bring tears because I know where you were coming from when you wrote them, but all is GREAT now, and ALI is so happy. :)

Alan, I have your "Under the Influence" and what a wonderful job you did with that album. They just get better and better!!!

Alan's latest album"When Somebody Loves You"is awesome. Way to go Alan!!! I saw Alan on the CMA awards and he sang a song he wrote the night before about the tragedies that happened on Sept.11/01 in the USA, it was very heartfelt and I hope he includes it in his next album. It had me in tears as well as most of the audience. Thank you Alan, I think people need to hear that.
Above: Pics of Alan in concert.

Below: Covers of some of Alan's albums.
 Click on the covers to see the lyrics.




I also have the lyrics to the following songs:

CHASIN' THAT NEON RAINBOW
CHATTAHOOCHEE
DALLAS
LIVIN' ON LOVE
HOME




Thank You So Much For Visiting! Please come back soon!!!


Updated on Nov.13/01
This page hosted by GeoCities. Get your own Free Home Page