Alan Jackson writes and sings simple songs that strike a chord
The song was "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," from his 2002 album, "Drive." An eloquent, heart-tugging song about the myriad of responses to 9-11 — from calling your mom and telling her you love her, to going out and buying a gun — it was the No. 1 song in America for five weeks in a row.
"I'm just a singer of simple songs," he says in the lyric, and it's an apt description. Simplicity is a hallmark of Jackson's songs, which celebrate the simple pleasures of life, from driving down a country road in a pickup truck to water-skiing on a river. He sings about the virtues of family, church and community, but he's not above tippling a few at the bar now and then.
His latest hit is all about barroom fun, and it, too, was No. 1 five weeks in a row. "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" is a tropical-flavored romp, so it just seems natural that Jimmy Buffett guest stars on it. The two have a ball singing it, as shown on its popular video. The song is from "Greatest Hits Volume II And Some Other Stuff," which is well on its way to becoming the biggest-selling country album of the year.
Jackson is a good guy in a white cowboy hat. Tall (6 feet, 4 inches), slim and blue-eyed, with blond hair and mustache, the Georgia native, who turns 45 two weeks from today, is a guitar-slinger and songwriter. He wrote or co-wrote 22 of his 30 No. 1 country songs. In his own quiet way, he has racked up sales of more than 40 million albums in just under 15 years as a recording artist. Before moving to Nashville (where he got a job in the mailroom at TNN), he was a forklift driver at Kmart.
He started as a songwriter with Glen Campbell's publishing company in 1986. He was signed as Arista's first country artist in 1989 and released his first album, "Here in the Real World," the following year. The title cut, a wise ballad that epitomized his down-home approach to life, became one of the biggest country hits of 1990. The title cut of his second CD, "Don't Rock the Jukebox," underscored his love of high-energy, boot-scootin' country dance songs.
Among his other hits are the neo-rockabilly "Chattahoochee," a tribute to the river he played in and around as a boy; "Murder on Music Row," an indictment of slick, pop-oriented country singers, recorded with George Strait; and "Drive (For Daddy Gene)," a tribute to his late father, who taught him to drive a car and a boat. The follow-up to "Where Were You," "Drive" also became the No. 1 song in America, which is still rare for a country song.
Opening for Jackson is one of the most successful new country artists to come along in years. Joe Nichols is a darkly handsome singer-songwriter with a wicked sense of humor. His breakthrough hit was "Brokenheartsville," in which the devil wears a cowboy hat, drives a Coup de Ville and steals his woman. "Here's to the past," he sings, "they can kiss my glass."
His follow-up hit is the current "She Only Smokes When She Drinks," a heartbroke ballad.
Jackson and Nichols are both country traditionalists. You can catch some of their forebears, some real country veterans, at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Pantages Theater in Tacoma. "Legends of Country Music" stars Whisperin' Bill Anderson, Grand Ole Opry veteran Jean Shepard, pop-country pioneer George Hamilton IV, old-timers Johnny and Bobby Wright and the undisputed queen of country music, Kitty Wells. Tickets are at Ticketmaster.
Patrick MacDonald: 206-464-2312 or pmacdonald@seattletimes.com
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