Alan Jackson Biography

Alan Jackson burst on the country charts almost fully-formed in 1989, then proceeded to get measurably better as a writer, singer and recording artist with each album. Still, after five rapid-selling albums and a slew of hits, the distinct impression is made that he hasn't peaked yet. Jackson, one of a few artists who doggedly kept the twang in country music during the early '90s just seems to get better with age--and expand his range. Jackson's impact on country music is getting larger by the day.

His hit "Gone Country," an insider's litany of pointed potshots mocking the musical carpetbaggers flocking to Music Row from New York, Vegas and L.A., was perfectly timed--soon after it faded from radio's heavy rotation, Nashville's music industry boom plateaued as all those newcomers replaced the twang with two much smooth pop and loud rock. Jackson? He just smiled and moved on to singing country nursery rhymes like the old George Jones-Roger Miller collaboration "Tall, Tall Trees" (found only on a greatest hits disc) and Tom T. Hall's "Little Bitty," and building a massive southern plantation-style home in a rural setting near Nashville. The houses get bigger and the cars finer, but Jackson's music remains the real deal and country music would be much the poorer without his no-apologies sound, which served as an anchor for the genre as it veered from traditionalism to aping pop sounds and rock 'n' roll theatrics. A decade from now and beyond, Jackson's music will be viewed with the respect now accorded the likes of Merle Haggard and, more recently, George Strait long after flashier or bigger-selling artists have run their course.

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Jackson, named Entertainer Of The Year in 1995 by the Country Music Association, was born Alan Eugene Jackson on Oct. 17, 1958, in Newnan, Ga. He sold cars, worked as a carpenter and toiled for a time in the mailroom at the Nashville Network cable television studios in Nashville before the lanky, cowboy-hatted singer was signed as the first artist on Arista's new Nashville label. He was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry in 1991, just two years after his smash debut album immediately established him as the hard-country singer to beat in the '90s. So far, no one has. Jackson's latest, 1998's High Mileage, entered the Billboard album chart at No. 4.