Alan Jackson

Alan Jackson married his high-school sweetheart, Denise Jackson, on December 15, 1979. Denise, a flight attendant, helped advance his early career after meeting Glen Campbell during a flight and seeking advice about her husband's music ambitions. The couple separated for several months in 1998 before reconciling.

They have three daughters: Mattie Denise Smith, Alexandra Jane "Ali," and Dani Grace. Jackson became a grandfather in 2022 when Ali and her husband, Sam Bradshaw, welcomed a son. His nephew Adam Wright is also a country singer-songwriter, and Wright and his wife, Shannon, perform as the duo The Wrights.

Jackson grew up in Newnan, Georgia, in a family with four older sisters. He sang gospel music as a child and later discovered the country recordings of Gene Watson, John Anderson, and Hank Williams Jr. After graduating from high school, he joined the band Dixie Steel and worked as a construction worker, forklift operator, and shoe-store employee while performing in local clubs.

Jackson began writing music in 1983 and moved to Nashville with Denise in the mid-1980s. He worked in the Nashville Network's mailroom and as a demo singer while developing his songwriting. In 1986, he was invited to sing George Jones's "He Stopped Loving Her Today" during a television taping, an appearance that brought him to the attention of singer-songwriter Keith Stegall, who later produced nineteen of Jackson's albums.

Jackson became the first artist signed to the newly formed Arista Nashville in 1989. His debut album, Here in the Real World, established his plainspoken, traditional country style and produced four Top Five singles, including the title track, "Wanted," "Chasin' That Neon Rainbow," and "I'd Love You All Over Again." He followed it with Don't Rock the Jukebox in 1991 and A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'bout Love) in 1992, which featured the hit "Chattahoochee."

His music drew on rural and small-town life, love, heartbreak, humor, and the country traditions associated with George Jones, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, and Buck Owens. Jackson reinforced that approach with Under the Influence, a 1999 album of classic-country covers, and with gospel releases including Precious Memories and Precious Memories Volume II. His first bluegrass album, The Bluegrass Album, was released in 2013 and reached number one on the Billboard Top Bluegrass Albums chart.

Jackson also worked with other major country artists. He co-wrote songs recorded by Randy Travis, including "Forever Together," "Better Class of Losers," and "I'd Surrender All." With George Strait, he recorded "Murder on Music Row," a song that criticized the movement toward pop and rock influences in country music. He also recorded "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" with Jimmy Buffett and "As She's Walking Away" with the Zac Brown Band.

Jackson wrote "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. After debuting the song at the CMA Awards, he released it as a single and included it on Drive in 2002. The song won Song of the Year awards from the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music, as well as the Grammy Award for Best Country Song.

Drive also included "Drive (For Daddy Gene)," an autobiographical tribute to Jackson's father. Other songs rooted in personal experience include "Remember When," which reflects on marriage and family, and "Chasin' That Neon Rainbow." In 2021, Jackson released Where Have You Gone, an album built around traditional country instrumentation and themes of family, grief, heartbreak, and the passing of time.

Jackson won the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year award in 1995, 2002, and 2003. He became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1991, was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2001, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010. In 2014, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum presented an exhibit marking his twenty-five years in country music and named him its artist in residence.

He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018. The Country Music Hall of Fame also recognized his songwriting with its Heritage Award from ASCAP in 2014. Jackson announced in 2021 that he had Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which affected his balance and later influenced his touring plans.