Editing Alan Jackson (section)

==Career==

In Tennessee, Jackson got his first job in [[Spike TV|The Nashville Network]]'s mailroom and would sit in the audience during tapings of TNN’s ''You Can Be a Star,'' a television singing competition featuring celebrity judges. On an episode in 1986, then 27-year-old Jackson was plucked from the audience and asked to sing a song as an outro to a commercial break. Jackson sang [[He Stopped Loving Her Today]] by [[George Jones]], earning a round of applause from the audience, and the attention of guest judge and singer-songwriter [[Keith Stegall]]. Stegall would eventually produce 19 of Jackson’s studio albums.<ref>{{cite web |title=FLASHBACK: ALAN JACKSON COVERS GEORGE JONES ON TV TALENT SHOW |last=Lorge |first=Melinda |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/flashback-alan-jackson-covers-george-jones-on-tv-talent-show-157981/}}</ref><ref name=seat />

Around this time, Jackson’s wife Denise, a flight attendant, encountered [[Glen Campbell]] on a flight, and requested advice for her husband. Campbell handed her the business card of his manager and told her to call,<ref name=AXS /> which further helped jumpstart his career.<ref name=sanz>Sanz, C.; J. Sanderson (September 2, 1991), "Honky-tonk hero". ''People''. '''36''' (8):76.</ref>  Jackson eventually signed with Arista,<ref name=seat /> and in 1989, he became the first artist signed to the newly formed [[Arista Nashville]] branch of [[Arista Records]].<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web |url=http://allmusic.com/artist/alan-jackson-p89651/biography |title=Alan Jackson biography |last=Huey |first=Steve |work=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=March 23, 2011}}</ref> Arista released Jackson's debut single, "Blue Blooded Woman", in late 1989. Although the song failed to reach top 40 on [[Hot Country Songs]], he reached number three by early 1990 with "[[Here in the Real World (song)|Here in the Real World]]".<ref name="whitburn">{{cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |title=Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008 |publisher=Record Research, Inc |year=2008 |pages=201–202 |isbn=978-0-89820-177-2}}</ref> This song served as the title track to his debut studio album, ''[[Here in the Real World]]'', which also included two more top five hits ("[[Wanted (Alan Jackson song)|Wanted]]" and "[[Chasin' That Neon Rainbow]]") and his first number one, "[[I'd Love You All Over Again]]".<ref name="whitburn" /> ''[[Don't Rock the Jukebox]]'' was the title of Jackson's second album. Released in 1991, it included four number-one singles: [[Don't Rock the Jukebox (song)|the title track]], "[[Someday (Alan Jackson song)|Someday]]", "[[Dallas (Alan Jackson song)|Dallas]]" and "[[Love's Got a Hold on You]]", and the number three "[[Midnight in Montgomery]]".<ref name="whitburn" /> Jackson also co-wrote several songs on [[Randy Travis]]' 1991 album ''[[High Lonesome (Randy Travis album)|High Lonesome]]''.<ref name="allmusic" />

''[[A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'bout Love)]]'', his third album, accounted for the number one hits "[[She's Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues)]]" (which Randy Travis co-wrote) and "[[Chattahoochee (song)|Chattahoochee]]", plus the top five hits "[[Tonight I Climbed the Wall]]", "[[Mercury Blues]]" and "[[(Who Says) You Can't Have It All]]". "Chattahoochee" also won him the 1994 [[Country Music Association]] (CMA) awards for Single and Song of the Year. In 1994, Jackson left his management company, Ten Ten Management, which had overseen his career up to that point, and switched to Gary Overton.<ref>Lichtman, Irv (March 5, 1994), "Alan Jackson switches managers". ''Billboard''. '''106''' (10):90</ref> His fourth album was titled ''[[Who I Am (Alan Jackson album)|Who I Am]]'', and it contained four number one hits: a cover of the [[Eddie Cochran]] [[rockabilly]] standard "[[Summertime Blues]]", followed by "[[Livin' on Love]]", "[[Gone Country (song)|Gone Country]]" and "[[I Don't Even Know Your Name]]". An additional track from the album, a cover of [[Rodney Crowell]]'s "[[Song for the Life]]", made number six. In late 1994, [[Clay Walker]] reached number one with "[[If I Could Make a Living (song)|If I Could Make a Living]]", which Jackson co-wrote.<ref>Cronin, Peter (November 19, 1994), "Spotlight shines on Jackson's songwriting". ''Billboard''. '''106''' (47):37.</ref> Jackson also appeared in the 1996 "When Harry Kept Delores" episode of [[Home Improvement (TV series)|''Home Improvement'']], performing "Mercury Blues".<ref name="Lakeland Ledger 1996-02-20">{{cite news |date=February 20, 1996 |title=Home Improvement |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Cl1OAAAAIBAJ&pg=4140%2C6802788 |newspaper=[[The Ledger|Lakeland Ledger]] | access-date=April 25, 2015}}</ref><ref name="The Spokesman-Review 1995-12-19">{{cite news |last=Capozzoli |first=Michael A. Jr. |date=December 19, 1995 |title=Homebody: Country star Alan Jackson works hard to fit in as much family time as possible |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Q2NWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6638%2C6425273 |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] | access-date=April 25, 2015}}</ref>

===Mid-to-late 1990s===
''[[The Greatest Hits Collection (Alan Jackson album)|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 (Alan Jackson song)|Home]]" from ''Here in the Real World'' that had never been released as a single.<ref>Price, Deborah Evans (September 16, 1995), [http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=afh&AN=9509295833&loginpage=Login.asp&site=ehost-live "20, count `em, 20 Jackson hits"]. ''Billboard''. '''107''' (37):32.</ref> These first two songs both made number one. ''[[Everything I Love (Alan Jackson album)|Everything I Love]]'' followed in 1996. Its first single, the [[Tom T. Hall]]-penned "[[Little Bitty]]", took Jackson to the top of the charts in late 1996. The album also included the number one hit "[[There Goes]]" and a number two cover of [[Charly McClain]]'s 1980 single "[[Who's Cheatin' Who]]". The album's fifth single was "[[A House with No Curtains]]", which became his first release since 1989 to miss the top 10.<ref name="whitburn" />

1998's ''[[High Mileage]]'' was led off by the number four "[[I'll Go On Loving You]]". After it came the album's only number one hit, "[[Right on the Money]]", co-written by [[Phil Vassar]] and [[Charlie Black]]. With Jackson's release of ''[[Under the Influence (Alan Jackson album)|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 music|rock]]- and [[pop music|pop]]-tinged sound dominated country radio.<ref>Flippo, Chet (September 25, 1999), "Jackson returns to roots with traditional set; Arista/Nashville seeks sound's revival". ''Billboard''. '''111''' (39):38</ref> When the Country Music Association (CMA) asked [[George Jones]] to trim his act to 90 seconds for the 1999 CMA awards, Jones decided to boycott the event. In solidarity, Jackson interrupted his own song and launched into Jones's song "Choices" and then walked offstage.<ref>Peyser, Mark; Alisha Davis; William Underhill (October 4, 1999), [http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=afh&AN=2308921&loginpage=login.asp&site=ehost-live "Newsmakers"]. ''Newsweek''. '''134''' (14):78.</ref>

===2000s===
[[File:Alan jackson at pentagon.jpg|thumb|left|Jackson performing in 2002]]

Due to a shift in the sound of country music towards a more [[pop music|pop]] sound in the 1990s and 2000s, he and [[George Strait]] criticized the state of country music in the song "[[Murder on Music Row]]". The song sparked debate in the country music community about whether "traditional" country music was actually dead or not.<ref>Price, Deborah Evans (May 6, 2000), "Is There `Murder On Music Row'? Debate Continues". ''Billboard''. '''112''' (19):36.</ref>  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.<ref>Jessen, Wade (April 29, 2000), "COUNTRY CORNER". ''Billboard''. '''112''' (18):60</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' commented on Jackson's style remarking, "If [[Garth Brooks|Garth]] and [[Shania Twain|Shania]] have raised the bar for country concerts with [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]]-style production and endless costume changes, then Alan Jackson is doing his best to return the bar to a more human level."<ref>Boenlert, Eric (March 2, 2000), "Performance". [[Rolling Stone]]. (835):44</ref> After the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], Jackson released "[[Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)]]" as a tribute to those killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The country/soft rock song became a hit single and briefly propelled him into the mainstream spotlight; Jackson had debuted the song at the 2001 CMA Awards and his performance was generally considered the highlight of the show. Jackson's website crashed the next day from server requests.<ref>Bessman, Jim (November 24, 2001), "Words & Music". ''Billboard''. '''113''' (47):36.</ref> 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. It was included on his 2002 album [[Drive (Alan Jackson album)|''Drive'']], both the live version from his CMA performance, and a radio version.

Jackson released his second Christmas album (after ''[[Honky Tonk Christmas]]'' in 1993), titled ''Let It Be Christmas'' on October 22, 2002.<ref>Stark, Phyllis (September 7, 2002), "Nashville Scene". ''Billboard''. '''114''' (36):29</ref> Jeannie Kendall contacted Jackson to do a duet, and he suggested the song "Timeless and True Love"; the song appeared on her first solo album, released in 2003.<ref>Price, Deborah Evans (March 1, 2003), "Jeannie Kendall Makes Her Solo Debut On Rounder". ''Billboard''. '''115''' (9):33.</ref> In early 2006, Jackson released his first [[gospel music]] album entitled ''[[Precious Memories (Alan Jackson album)|Precious Memories]]''. He put together the album at the request of his mother, who enjoyed religious music. Jackson considered this album a "side project" and nothing too official, but it was ultimately treated as such. More than 1.8 million units were eventually sold.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

[[File:Alan Jackson (3023581503).jpg|thumb|right|Jackson performing in 2005]]

Just a few months later, Jackson released his next album, ''[[Like Red on a Rose]]''. Originally intended to be a [[Bluegrass music|bluegrass]] album, ''Like Red on a Rose'' had a different producer and sound. [[Keith Stegall]] was notably absent from this album and, instead, [[Alison Krauss]] took over the producing reins. Unlike Jackson's previous albums, the album abandoned Jackson's typical neotraditional country style and instead, went for a [[soft rock]]/[[adult contemporary]] sound. This move proved controversial for his fans, who accused him of abandoning his signature style in order to go for a more commercial pop route. Although critically acclaimed, the album was considered a commercial disappointment for the singer. For his next album, he went back to his country roots. ''[[Good Time (Alan Jackson 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, 2007. "[[Country Boy (Alan Jackson song)|Country Boy]]", "[[Good Time (Alan Jackson song)|Good Time]]", "[[Sissy's Song]]" and "[[I Still Like Bologna]]", were also released as singles. "Sissy's Song" is dedicated to a longtime friend of the Jackson family (Leslie "Sissy" Fitzgerald) who worked in their house every day. Fitzgerald was killed in a motorcycle accident in mid-2007.

===2010s and 2020s===
[[File:Alan Jackson -DSC 0077-8.24.12 (7855083622).jpg|thumb|left|Jackson performing in 2012]]

His sixteenth studio album,  ''[[Freight Train (album)|Freight Train]]'', was released on March 30, 2010. The first single was "[[It's Just That Way]]", which debuted at No.&nbsp;50 in January 2010. "[[Hard Hat and a Hammer]]" is the album's second single, released in May 2010. On November 23, 2010, Jackson released another greatest-hits package, entitled ''[[34 Number Ones]]'', which features a cover of the [[Johnny Cash]] hit "[[Ring of Fire (song)|Ring of Fire]]", as well as the duet with [[Zac Brown Band]], "[[As She's Walking Away]]". On January 20, 2011, [[Sony Music Nashville]] announced that Jackson and his Sony-owned record label, [[Arista Nashville]], had parted.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-country-superstar-alan-jackson-sony-to-split-2011jan20-story.html|title=Country superstar Alan Jackson, Sony to split - The San Diego Union-Tribune|date=December 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206191546/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-country-superstar-alan-jackson-sony-to-split-2011jan20-story.html|access-date=May 15, 2021|archive-date=December 6, 2019}}</ref> In March of that year, Jackson announced his new deal with Capitol's [[Capitol Records Nashville|EMI Records Nashville]]. It was a joint venture between ACR (Alan's Country Records) and Capitol. All records were to be released and marketed through Capitol's EMI Records Nashville label.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alanjackson.com/news.html?n_id=2920 |title=News |publisher=Alan Jackson |date=March 23, 2011 |access-date=March 31, 2012}}</ref>

In 2012, Jackson released the album ''[[Thirty Miles West]]''. Three singles were released from the album: "[[Long Way to Go (Alan Jackson song)|Long Way to Go]]", "[[So You Don't Have to Love Me Anymore]]" and "[[You Go Your Way (Alan Jackson song)|You Go Your Way]]". None of the singles reached the top 20. A tour in 2013 supported the album. Jackson released his second gospel album, ''[[Precious Memories Volume II]]'', on March 26, 2013. Later that same year, Jackson released his first (and so far, only) bluegrass album, simply titled ''[[The Bluegrass Album (Alan Jackson album)|The Bluegrass Album]]''. Two singles were released from the album: "Blue Ridge Mountain Song" and "Blacktop". The album eventually peaked at no. 1 on the ''Billboard'' [[Top Bluegrass Albums]] chart and no. 3 on the country chart. In 2014, Jackson recorded the opening credits song, "A Million Ways to Die", for the film ''[[A Million Ways to Die in the West]]'', co-writing the song with [[Seth MacFarlane]] and [[Joel McNeely]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Listen-Title-Track-Seth-MacFarlane-Million-Ways-Die-West-42776.html |title=Listen To The Title Track For Seth MacFarlane's A Million Ways To Die In The West |publisher=Cinema Blend |access-date=April 30, 2014|date=2014-04-29 }}</ref>

In August 2014, the Country Music Hall of Fame opened an exhibit celebrating Jackson's 25 years in the music industry. It was also announced that he was an artist in residency as well, performing shows on October 8 and 22.<ref>Joseph Hudak, [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/alan-jackson-honored-with-country-music-hall-of-fame-exhibit-20140723 "Alan Jackson Honored With Country Music Hall of Fame Exhibit"],''Rolling Stone'', July 23, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2014.</ref> The exhibit highlights the different milestones in his career with memorabilia collected over the years. His twenty-fifth anniversary "Keeping It Country" tour, began on January 8, 2015, in Estero, Florida.<ref name="alanjackson.com">[http://www.alanjackson.com/tour.html Alan Jackson 25th Anniversary Tour]. 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2015.</ref> In January 2015, Jackson began his 25th anniversary "Keepin' It Country" tour, followed in April with the announcement of his twentieth studio album, ''[[Angels and Alcohol]]'', which was released on July 17.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/alan-jackson-turns-to-angels-and-alcohol-for-new-album-20150409 |title=Alan Jackson Turns to 'Angels and Alcohol' for New Album |publisher=Rolling Stone |date=April 9, 2015 |access-date=April 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413003351/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/alan-jackson-turns-to-angels-and-alcohol-for-new-album-20150409 |archive-date=April 13, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2016, Jackson was selected as one of 30 artists to perform on "''Forever Country''", a mash-up track of "[[Take Me Home, Country Roads]]", "[[On the Road Again (Willie Nelson song)|On the Road Again]]" and "[[I Will Always Love You]]" which celebrates 50 years of the [[CMA Awards]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/scenes-cmas-historic-music-video-featuring-30-country/story?id=42129062|title=30 Country Music Stars Join Forces for Historic CMA Music Video|date=September 22, 2016|website=ABC News|access-date=December 2, 2016}}</ref> In 2016 and 2017, Jackson extended his "Keepin' It Country" tour with American Idol alumna Lauren Alaina.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alanjackson.com/about.html|title=Alan Jackson :: About {{!}} Alan Jackson|website=Alanjackson.com|access-date=December 2, 2016}}</ref> In August 2016, [[Legacy Recordings]] released the collection ''[[Genuine: The Alan Jackson Story]]'' digitally and on three CDs with 59 tracks including eight previously unreleased tracks which was dedicated to [[Merle Haggard]]'s memory.<ref>[https://www.sony.com/en_us/SCA/company-news/press-releases/sony-music-entertainment/2016/alan-jacksons-genuine-the-alan-jackson-story-a-def.html "Alan Jackson's Genuine: The Alan Jackson Story, A Definitive Three CD Career-Defining Collection"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202171812/https://www.sony.com/en_us/SCA/company-news/press-releases/sony-music-entertainment/2016/alan-jacksons-genuine-the-alan-jackson-story-a-def.html |date=December 2, 2016 }}, ''Sony Music Entertainment'', date</ref><ref>[http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alan-jacksons-genuine-the-alan-jackson-story-a-definitive-three-cd-career-defining-collection-300284181.html "Alan Jackson's Genuine: The Alan Jackson Story, A Definitive Three CD Career-Defining Collection "], ''prnewswire.com'', date</ref> The collection was initially released as a [[Walmart]] exclusive in November 2015,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tasteofcountry.com/alan-jackson-genuine-the-alan-jackson-story/|title=‘Genuine: The Alan Jackson Story’ Includes Unreleased Songs|author=Reuter, Annie|date=October 10, 2015|publisher=Taste of Country|accessdate=December 23, 2024}}</ref> with a worldwide release in August 2016. In October 2017, Alan Jackson released a new song titled "The Older I Get" for a planned future studio album.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sexton |first=Paul |url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/alan-jackson-the-older-i-get-song/ |title='The Older I Get': Alan Jackson Returns Revitalised &#124; uDiscover |website=Udiscovermusic.com |date=October 27, 2017 |access-date=2020-04-30}}</ref> The album ''[[Where Have You Gone]]'' would be released four years later; the record features an even harder, more traditional country sound than Jackson's usual repertoire, with Jackson noting in interviews that he feared that "country music is gone, and it's not coming back."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbs19.tv/article/news/local/alan-jackson-country-music-is-gone/501-155a9ada-b384-49d1-a09c-0c6af3acec34|title = ALAN JACKSON: 'Country music is gone and it's not coming back'| date=May 18, 2021 }}</ref>