Alan Jackson and his wife Denise have a lot to celebrate this holiday season and in the next year. The couple, who have been married for 43 years, brought their first grandchild into the world on Wednesday, December 13—just two days before they celebrated their anniversary.
As high school sweethearts, Alan and Denise tied the knot on December 15, 1979, when Alan was 21 and Denise was 19. They were married, but split up nearly two decades later; they never divorced and eventually reconnected.
In 2018, Alan’s family suffered a tragic loss when his son-in-law, Ben Selecman, died in a boating accident. This tragedy influenced Alan’s music, reflected in albums like “Angels & Alcohol” and “Where Have You Gone.”
Alan and his daughter, Mattie Jackson Selecman, created the song “Racing the Dark,” included with Mattie’s book, “Lemons on Friday.” The book details her healing journey and the founding of NaSHEville, a business empowering women.
Alan also revealed he has Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a nerve disorder affecting his mobility. Despite this, he remains determined to continue performing. Alan Jackson’s legacy is marked by extraordinary talent, strength, and resilience.
Over the course of his impressive 40-year career, Alan Jackson has released 16 studio albums, three “Greatest Hits” collections, two gospel albums, and two holiday collections. His global record sales of 75 million, including 44 million in the United States, are unmatched.
That’s why it wasn’t a shock that Alan Jackson was honored at this year’s Country Music Awards, hosted by Peyton Manning and Luke Bryan, with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. It’s given to “an legendary performer who has achieved the highest degree of recognition in Country Music.”
“I’ve had a great team around me my whole career that has helped me, great songwriters. I’ve been so fortunate to have all that to help me get this far. I can’t thank everybody who’s been in my life all these years, but I do have to say thanks to my wife Denise, over there somewhere,” he said in his speech.
Over the past 20 years, Jackson has been admitted into three Halls of Fame: the Georgia Music Hall of Fame (in 2001), the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (in 2018), and the Country Music Hall of Fame (in 2019). He continued, “I’ve obviously lived the American dream,” and emphasized that he was still doing so.