Alan Jackson The SONGWRITER to be Honored
Alan Jackson is one of the greatest singers and entertainers in country music history, and few if anyone would dispute that. But something about the Georgia native that makes his legendary career and catalog that much more remarkable is how he wrote so many of his own songs, and so many of his biggest hits.
These days we’re used to songwriting by committee, especially from most mainstream major label country stars. But even in Alan Jackson’s most productive era, an artist writing most of their own songs like Alan was rare, especially his biggest hits. “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” “Don’t Rock The Jukebox,” “Chattahoochee,” “Midnight in Montgomery,” “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning),” and many more are Alan Jackson cuts.
At the same time, Jackson has been a champion of great songs written by others, like Bob McDill’s “Gone Country,” or Larry Cordle and Larry Shell’s “Murder on Music Row.” This is the reason Alan Jackson is receiving the Nashville Songwriters Association International or NSAI’s Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024.
“When the NSAI Board of Directors chose Alan Jackson as this year’s recipient of the Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award, I knew they had made a fantastic choice,” says NSAI Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Turnbow. “I was eager to craft a segment of our annual awards show around his work as a songwriter. But, it wasn’t until I really studied his body of work and recalled decades of his songs that I realized just how deserving he was of this recognition. Alan’s songs, many of which he wrote by himself, have marked significant moments in time and are etched into the memories of multiple generations.”
Also as part of the upcoming festivities (detailed to be announced soon), producer, musician, and songwriter Buddy Cannon will receive the NSAI’s President’s Keystone Award. Though Buddy Cannon has written multiple notable songs (“Set ‘Em Up Joe,” “Dream Of Me,” “Give It Away”), the Keystone Award is just as much about and individual that champions good songs as it is about someone that writes them. That’s how George Strait earned the award a few years back.
As the producer of Kenny Chesney and many of Willie Nelson’s recent albums where he also co-writes many of Willie’s new songs, Cannon is the kind of songwriting champion the NSAI is looking for.
“It is impossible to calculate the impact Buddy Cannon has had on the songwriters in this town. He is famous for being tough on songs and helping build multi decade careers,” says NSAI Board President Lee Thomas Miller.
June 29, 2024 @ 4:59 pm
Awesome. Ronnie Dunn should be honored soon too.
June 29, 2024 @ 7:09 pm
I always felt like between the class of ’89 and the 90’s country craze, Alan could get relegated as a product of that era. But this side of Merle, I can’t think of another performer that has had success with his own songs for the majority of his career like that. And not just singles, but songs that will be country standards. A keeper of the flame if there ever was one. Well deserved.
June 29, 2024 @ 7:47 pm
Some of my favorite Alan-written songs that come to mind are “Rainy Day in June” and “You don’t have to paint me a picture”
June 29, 2024 @ 7:56 pm
Well deserved Mr. JACKSON
June 29, 2024 @ 8:25 pm
The man is a legitimate songwriter. He might not have even gotten a record deal if it weren’t for that fact. He had been going around playing covers and didn’t get signed until he played “Chasin That Neon Rainbow” for them if I remember correctly. Also can’t forget that Clay Walker owes him for about half of his career for giving him “Live Until I Die” haha.
June 30, 2024 @ 10:46 am
“Live Until I Die” was written by Walker. Jackson co-wrote the title cut and hit single “If I Could Make A Living” from Clay’s second album.
I agree that AJ is a legitimate songwriter, and he’s never wavered from the traditional country sound or chased trends.
June 30, 2024 @ 2:35 pm
Damn, I knew I was misremembering something haha, thanks for the correction
July 1, 2024 @ 8:00 am
He also co-wrote Forever Together (#1) and Better Class of Losers (#2) with Randy Travis. Back-to-back hits for Randy in 1991.
July 1, 2024 @ 3:11 pm
No worries, Steel, I just remember how impressed I was that a label would let a new artist release a solo write as their first single. It was a good song, so I guess that had a lot to do with it.
You’re right Michael! And he and Randy co-wrote “She’s Got The Rhythm,” another great song!
July 2, 2024 @ 8:51 pm
I had that on cassette. Still etched in my mind. Great song. Amazing to think now that they got together to write.
June 29, 2024 @ 8:50 pm
So well deserved.
“Drive (For Daddy Gene)” is my favorite song Alan Jackson wrote (solo). There’s nothing poetic about it, but it is masterfully composed.. perfection. Every time it comes one, it’s a repeat for me.
“Little Man” (solo) and “Working Class Hero” (w/ Don Sampson) – two brilliant blue-collared anthems that are timeless and weren’t ditties like Aaron Tippin’s “Working Man’s Ph. D’ or Travis Tritt’s “Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man.”
There was a seriousness and relatability in the songs Jackson wrote that only got better when he gained more creative control from the Nashville machine.
June 30, 2024 @ 9:31 am
Alan Jackson has a beautiful voice and lis looks match it. He has put me to sleep many a nite. Thank you Mr. Jackson. Love you n you music
June 30, 2024 @ 12:13 am
Jackson had co-writers on most of his songs and all of his signature hits except for “Where Were You…” and “Drive,” and also used some outside material.
Toby Keith, actually has more solo-written songs in his catalog of hits than Jackson, though I wouldn’t dispute that Jackson’s songs come off as a bit more personal and “singer-songwritery” than Toby’s.
In that ’90s era, the superstar artist who used just about exclusively his own material was Clint Black (though generally co-written with his long-time bandmate Hayden Nicholas). But Black’s recording career surprisingly went downhill fast at the close of the ’90s–while Jackson and Keith were still going strong. One of the reasons often cited for Black’ career implosion was his purported stubbornness in insisting on recording only matrial that he had a hand in writing.
June 30, 2024 @ 11:16 am
If we’re talking solo written #1 hits, Jackson wrote 11 of his 26 chart toppers solo. Keith wrote 5 of his 20 chart topping hits solo, while Black wrote 4 solo. All three penned some amazing songs that stand the test of time. Each one made a similar mark in country music.
As far as Clint Black’s career goes, once he decided he wanted to be a lead guitar player, and reportedly spent an entire year in the woodshed pulling ten hour days, his songwriting got considerably weaker. His early albums are killer.
June 30, 2024 @ 8:14 pm
@Jim–
I based my comment on looking at their early hits from the ’90s–and Toby wrote most of the early ones solo and Jackson did not.
But Toby seemed to have stopped writing solo after “Who’s Your Daddy?” in 2002 and Alan seemed to step up the solo writing after that with songs like “Country Boy” and “Small Town Southern Man.” Not his best stuff, in my opinion, but you are correct, and I was wrong, as far as the numbers.
I didn’t know about Clint playing lead guitar, but I agree that his later stuff does not match his early albums in quality. Of course, I’d say the same about Garth–even more so–yet their career trajectories were quite different.
July 1, 2024 @ 3:15 pm
It’s not about being right or wrong, my friend. I just love the fact that all three artists wrote some great songs solo and with other writers.
I agree with you on Garth. His early albums were solid, his post retirement stuff is weak in my opinion.
July 2, 2024 @ 11:35 pm
The other thing about Clint Black is that at least his early albums were super traditional. Most of the other artists of the ’90s were doing neo-traditional country, which of the time was Better than 1980s production but was definitely not as traditional as the way that we perceive it today. So his stuff was a little more dated sounding. I’m actually pretty unfamiliar with what happened to Clint’s career later on in the ’90s but his first couple of things are just pretty much straight up Western swing and honky tonk and didn’t have nearly the rock and (??) other modern influences of the other neotraditionalists.
*This entire comment written while somewhat drunk outside a bonfire, so ignore me if I’m totally wrong
June 30, 2024 @ 6:51 am
You’re so deserving of this award Mr Alan Jackson. You are the best,you catch every aspect of feels with your songs.
July 1, 2024 @ 12:09 pm
Alan Jackson is the greatest of since 1989 if you ask me. And the songwriting is a big part of that. He makes me believe every word he sings. I contrast him with The King, who is awesome, but George strait will sing whatever they give him and it doesn’t have the same weight. Thirty miles west album wasn’t really promoted, one day I heard “So You Don’t Have To Love Me Anymore” on the radio on the way home and just bawled, as a grown man.
July 2, 2024 @ 9:34 pm
Alan Jackson is one of the overall greatest, absolutely. I always have appreciated how he writes music that honors his upbringing and his family. He has always treated country music with respect and hasn’t strayed from it.
August 8, 2024 @ 4:43 am
I Love your music