A native of Newnan, Georgia, Alan Jackson was not like the typical music star and did not discover his interest and talent for music until after he graduated from high school. He began to dream of becoming a country music star after sitting in with local bands and writing songs following a full day's work as a mechanic or a forklift driver. Jackson and his wife, Denise, left Georgia for Nashville in 1985 and one of his first jobs there was working in the mailroom for The Nashville Network. He credits that job with helping teach him about the industry.
After several rejections from other labels, Arista Records signed Jackson as its first country act in 1989. Denise Jackson wrote in her autobiography, It's All About Him, that when they were poor and Jackson was thinking about giving up on country music, they enlisted the help of friends to call radio stations around the country to request his songs. That tactic was no longer necessary when his second single, "Here In The Real World," became a Top 10 hit in 1990. He was named Top New Male Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music that year. In 1991, Jackson won the ACM Album of the Year for Don't Rock the Jukebox, while the title track won Single of the Year.
Jackson is known as a staunch supporter of traditional country music and showed his solidarity with George Jones, one of country music's legends, in 1999. Jones was asked by the Country Music Association to trim his performance of his song "
Choices" to 90 seconds for the live broadcast. Insulted by the request, Jones refused to attend. Jackson, who was the CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1995, interrupted the performance of his own song, "Pop a Top," to sing part of "Choices." Jackson later said to CMT.com in 2010 that Jones, who had recently survived a horrific car crash, deserved to sing the song and the way he was treated "made me mad."
Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Jackson was inspired to write a song, and released "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" in November 2001 as part of the Drive album. He told the Los Angeles Times in a 2006 interview that dealing with such a difficult topic in a song for the first time brought a new level of emotion to his songwriting. Jackson believes the song is about "faith, hope, and love," making it appropriate for any of life's tragedies, despite its association with 9/11.
In 2010, Jackson left Arista Records to enter a partnership between EMI Records and his own label, Alan's Country Records (ACR). In his 22 years with Arista, Jackson sold over 50 million albums. His 17th studio album, Thirty Miles West, is the first project under the partnership. His nephew, Adam Wright, co-wrote the album's first single, "You Don't Have to Love Me Anymore." Jackson told The Boot that the demo, "raised the hair on my arms," and is the type of sad, emotional song that makes him want to be in country music.
Alan Jackson is the youngest of five born to Joseph Eugene "Daddy Gene" Jackson and Ruth Musick "Mama Ruth" Jackson. His parents were still in their teens when they married and Mama Ruth's father built a tool shed for them to live in. As the family grew, they kept adding to the property but Jackson still had to sleep in the hallway until one of his four older sisters moved out.
Jackson was diagnosed with a genetic neurological condition called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) in 2011, but didn't go public with it until 2021. The disease affects his balance and makes it difficult for him to perform. In 2024 he announced that his Last Call: One More For The Road tour would be his last.
While many know him as a traditional country icon, few realize the deep connection Alan Jackson has with the instruments that define his music. Growing up, Jackson wasn't just drawn to country for the lyrics or the lifestyle; he fell in love with the sound of it - the twang of steel guitars and the soulful cry of fiddles. In fact, Jackson has said that these unique instruments are what truly made country music special to him, giving it a character that no other genre could match. It's this attention to musical detail that has kept him rooted in his classic style for over three decades.
In 2025, the Academy of Country Music created a new award in his honor: Alan Jackson Lifetime Achievement Award, with Jackson the first recipient. Reba McEntire presented him with the award after Jackson played a very moving rendition of his nostalgic hit "
Remember When."
"A few years ago one of my fans named a dog after me, and I thought that was something, but this is amazing," he said in his acceptance speech.
