John Prine and Bob Dylan are two musicians whose musical arrangements aren’t overly complicated. However, they didn’t need complex chord structures, beautiful harmonies, and or spellbinding guitar solos. All they needed was three chords and their honest and poetic lyrics. That being so, these two musicians weren’t the only two who agreed to this approach. The one and only Alan Jackson also took on a similar approach to his music and preached the style to aspiring musicians as well.
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Like Prine and Dylan, Jackson’s music isn’t overly superfluous or complicated. Rather, he sticks to the essentials, a good melody, rhythm, and memorable lyrics. That being so, one of the more memorable quotes to ever come from Jackson is, “Three chords and a prayer.”
Alan Jackson uttered the infamous quote while receiving the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award in November 2022. The contents of the quote are in reference to what any aspiring singer/songwriter needs, and even though Jackson made the quote famous, he is not the original author.
Alan Jackson’s Nod to Harlan Howard
Like most raw and authentic country music, it all derives from a precedent in some way, shape, or form. And that doesn’t just go for music but that also goes with the school of thought encompassing some of country’s best music. With that in mind, Alan Jackson’s famous quote is not one written by him, rather, it is written by the classic country legend, Harland Howard.
For context, Harlan Howard wrote songs for acts such as Patsy Cline, Hank Cochran, Buck Owens, Jan Howard, Ray Price, and Charlie Rich. Given this list of names, the man was a highly sought-after songwriter in his heyday. Regarding his solo career, Howard scored success with the songs “The Deepening Snow,” “Too Many Rivers,” and “Busted.” Even though Howard gained notoriety through songwriting for others, his wisdom about the genre still surpasses most musicians who were or are a headlining act.
Harlan Howard’s grasp on the genre is something only a select few have been able to replicate. And frankly, the people who have achieved this replication are the ones who seemingly followed his advice. Most notably the advice that Jackson followed. In the 1950s Harlan used a short sentence to describe the foundation for a country song, his profound answer, “Three chords and the truth.”
Ever since Howard said this, it seems every musician since, either purposely or incidentally, has followed it. In a world riddled with subjectivity, Howard was able to give a robust answer in just five words. Five words that would and will forever be a North Star for musicians chasing the dream.
Photo by Beth Gwinn/Redferns
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