Alan Jackson was unsuspecting when he attended the 52nd Annual ASCAP Country Music Awards in Nashville Nov. 4. He had no idea that he was going to receive a truly prestigious honor that was a first-ever award.
The singer/songwriter and country superstar was presented the ASCAP Heritage Award, signifying that he is the most performed country music songwriter-artist in the ASCAP's first 100 years. The award was presented by ASCAP president and chairman of the board Paul Williams and special guest presenter Connie Bradley in commemoration of ASCAP's first 100 years.
"I don't even know what to say. I'm just an old country boy that's had a lot of blessings," declared Jackson, who attended the event with his wife, Denise. "Like I've said before, I'm just a singer of simple songs and came [to Nashville] to sing country songs and songwriting means more to me than anything."
"Try to remember it's about the music. Try not to look at those charts," he told his peers - artists, songwriters and music industry colleagues.
The honor included a video tribute that highlighted some of Jackson's career milestones, as well as interviews with music industry luminaries who were instrumental in launching his career, including ASCAP board member Barry Coburn, former Arista Records head Tim DuBois and longtime producer Keith Stegall.
Jackson is one of the most successful and respected singer-songwriters in music. He is in the notable company of John Lennon and Paul McCartney among songwriters who've written more than 20 songs that they've recorded and taken to No. 1 on the charts. He is one of the best-selling artists since the inception of SoundScan, ranking alongside the likes of Metallica and Eminem.
Jackson will be hitting the road in 2015. He kicks off his 25th Anniversary Keepin' It Country tour on Jan. 8 in Fort Myers, Florida. His tourmates are Jon Pardi and Brandy Clark.
