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Alan Jackson is a big name in country music, who has
qualified as a precious national resource. His artistic character has been
defined by his simplicity and his loyalty to himself. Fifteen years into his
career, he has sold more than 40 million albums and scored more than 30 No.
1 singles -- 21 of which he either wrote or co-wrote. It is his respect for
both the country music and his connection to the icons of the genre that has
made him one of today's most wanted country artists. After Garth Brooks,
Alan Jackson was the most popular male country singer of the '90s. His first
album, 1990's Here in the Real World, was a major hit, as was his second
(1991) album, Don't Rock the Jukebox. In 1992, he released the spooky video
for "Midnight in
Montgomery," which won a CMA Award. That same year, he returned to No. 1
with "Love's Got a Hold on You" and "She's Got the Rhythm (And I Got the
Blues)." In 1993, he spent four weeks at the top with the most enduring and
successful "Chattahoochee." Alan Jackson’s "Chattahoochie" propelled the
sale of more than 6 million copies since it gave a nostalgic feeling to the
younger fans of their school days. Mostly, Jackson keeps his focus on the
fiddles and the steel guitar, banging out a nice assortment of old hits and
newer songs in a well-paced show that didn't vary much. Alan’s stylish white
cowboy boots and his faded, ripped-at-the-knees jeans also earn him the
first big cheers during his concerts. In only his fifth year on the scene,
Jackson was able to issue The Greatest Hits Collection in 1995. It took The
Greatest Hits Collection only a year to sell over three million copies.
1996's Everything I Love became his fourth straight release to top the
country album chart.
Jackson's hallmark has
always been his consistency. Many of his hit has been composed by him only
and his way with a hook was part of the reason he never really hit a
commercial dry spell, even in the new millennium. His modest, wholesome,
down-to-earth image made him one of the best-liked stars of his era. He
rocketed to fame with his somber "Where Were You (When the World Stopped
Turning)," attributed to the aftermath of
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The song became his first single to
crack the pop Top 30. In 2002, he spawned another number one in "Drive (For
Daddy Gene)," a tribute to
Jackson's late father. The
album was Jackson's seventh to top the country charts. Alan’s conviction
that the country music brings out the pain, the regrets, the broken hearts
bring us back to this very simple yet profound tradition. He sporadically
commented on the country music industry in songs such as the No. 1 hit
country’s hot "Gone Country", "Three Minute Positive Not Too Country
Up-Tempo Love Song" and his CMA award-winning collaboration with George
Strait on "Murder on Music Row.” Credited for popularizing a Neotraditional
Country sound, Jackson’s What I Do is the iconic stuff of the jukebox: an
album whose songs collectively rises above compilation placement and is
bonafide nostalgic.
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