On this day (October 17) in 1958, Alan Jackson was born in Newnan, Georgia. He came from humble beginnings and tried for years to break into the country music industry. After being told “no” by nearly every label in Music City, he was finally able to release his debut album, Here in the Real World, in 1990. The release set him up for not only a string of hits but also to be one of the most important country artists of the ’90s and beyond.
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After high school, Jackson joined a local band called Dixie Steel and played clubs around Georgia while working blue-collar jobs. In 1979, he married his wife, Denise, who supported him emotionally throughout the early days of his career, inspired his first No. 1 single, and remains by his side today.
The couple moved to Nashville in the mid-1980s. He landed a job in the mailroom at The Nashville Network. According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, he also worked as a demo singer at the time. Jackson was also taking time to hone his craft as a songwriter.
Jackson had no desire to fit in with the country music world of the late 1980s. Instead, he wanted to bring traditional country music back to the masses. “Merle and George and Hank. A lot of young people liked that music when I was growing up, but it felt like nobody was making it,” Jackson said. “Somebody had to go to Nashville and make that kind of country music.”
In 1989, just a few years after moving to Music City, Jackson got his chance.
Alan Jackson Launches His Iconic Career
Arista Nashville, a branch of Arista Records, formed in 1989. Alan Jackson was the first artist to ink a deal with the new label. The next year, he released his debut album, Here in the Real World. His brand of neotraditional country music put him in the same conversations as the likes of Randy Travis, George Strait, and Clint Black. The album peaked at No. 4 on the Top Country Albums chart. It also produced four hit singles, including the autobiographical hit “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow” and his first No. 1, “I’d Love You All Over Again,” a song he wrote for his wife around the time of their tenth anniversary.
That was just the beginning for Jackson. The next decade saw him releasing a long string of hits. “Don’t Rock the Jukebox,” “Dallas,” “Someday,” “Chattahoochee,” and 21 more of his songs have found the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. 14 of his albums have gone to No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart.
Today, Alan Jackson is among the best-selling artists in the world with more than 75 million albums sold worldwide. He has taken home multiple genre-specific awards, including three Entertainer of the Year trophies from the Country Music Association.
Last year, the Academy of Country Music announced the creation of the Alan Jackson Lifetime Achievement Award. The award celebrates artists, duos, or groups who have achieved prominence and stature through concert performances, philanthropy, record sales, streaming numbers, and public representation,” according to press materials. Those artists also contributed to the genre’s growth and popularity and left a mark on fans and the industry alike. In short, to win the award, they need to mirror Jackson’s success and impact.
Featured Image by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
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