BIOGRAPHY

Life and family  

Name:

Alan Eugene Jackson  

Born:

October 17th, 1958 - Newnan, Georgia  

Residence:

Nashville, Tennessee  

High School Graduate-Newnan High School – Newnan, Georgia

1 year at West Georgia College  

Mattie Denise Jackson, born June 19th, 1990

Alexandra "Ali" Jane Jackson, born August 23rd, 1993

Dani Grace Jackson, born August 28th, 1997  

Parents:  

Joseph Eugene Jackson – Ford mechanic, born 1927, passed away January 31st, 2000

Mattie Ruth Jackson (maiden name Musick) – dietitian, born 1930  

Siblings:  

Diane Dawson, born 1948, Coweta County Commissioner, maried with James Dawson

Cathy Wright, born 1951, educator in Newnan, married with Lamar Wright

Carol Frank, born 1951, educator in Newnan, married with ?

Connie Davis, born 1954, educator in Newnan, married with Pat Davis  

Figure:  

height 6 feet 4 inches, weight 180 lbs., blond hair, blue eyes  

First job:  

At 12, a job in a shoe repair store  

Other jobs:

Car salesman at a Ford dealership (1980-1983), carpenter, home-builder, garage worker, fork-lift driver at K-Mart, mail clerk at TNN (1985), songwriter for Glen Campbell´s Publishing Company  

Hobbies:  

collecting classic cars, Harley-Davidson motorcycles and antique boats, fishing, flying small planes, teaching his daughters to fish and water-ski  

Pets:

dog Buddy, cat Jasper and 3 horses  

Musical beginnings

First instrument:

At 16, his parents bought him a $50 guitar (which he still owns) and he started take guitar lessons

First performance:

At 17, in high school production of Oklahoma – the role of Barnaby

First song:

"Lil' Red Riding Hood" by Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs.

Music influences:

George Jones, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Jr., Hank Williams Sr., George Strait, John Conlee, John Anderson and Gene Watson

First group:

The Dixie Steel (the name came from a box of nails)

Big break:

In 1985, Denise met Glen Campbell in an airport when she was working as a flight attendant. She told him about Alan and gave him a tape. Glen gave her his business card and suggested that Alan call Glen’s publishing company. A few months later, Alan and Denise moved to Nashville to start his career as a songwriter.

Exclusive contract:

Signed to Arista Nashville June 26th, 1989 , own group The Strayhorns

Grand Ole Opry:

Introduction in 1991 by Roy Acuff and Randy Travis

Biggest success:

CMA Awards 2002 – won 5 awards out of 10 nominations (CMA record) including 
the Entertainer of the Year

Alan's favorites

Movie:

The Outlaw Josey Wales

TV Show:

The Andy Griffith Show

Actor:

Clint Eastwood

Actress:

Jodie Foster

Singer:

George Jones

Song:

"He Stopped Loving Her Today" by George Jones

Self-penned song:

"Home"

Color:

blue

Clothes:

T-shirt and jeans

Hat:

Stetson Rancher – Silver Belly

Boot:

the red ones from Chattahoochee video (custom made)

Guitars:

Jim Triggs

Sports:

Fishing & Tennessee Titans

Car:

Thunderbird convertible (first car owned – 1955)

Childhood pet:

a spider monkey named Peanuts

Christmas gift:

go-cart built by his Daddy

Foods:

pineapple and mayonnaise, sandwich

Place to ride Harley:

In Oregon at Crater Lake

Place to relax:

Gulf of Mexico

Charity:

Vanderbilt Children´s Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee