Alan Jackson: Cars, music and Sept. 11

Liz Allison

By Liz Allison, Turner Sports Interactive
December 12, 2001
12:16 PM EST (1716 GMT)

COMMENTARY

Few people can sit down and put into words what most of the world was feeling on Sept. 11 when the first hijacked plane hit the World Trade Center. But that is exactly what country music star Alan Jackson did.

Here, he shares his reaction to the tragedy of Sept. 11, the enormous impact his father had on his life and the privilege he feels to be performing the tribute to Dale Earnhardt for the NBC's "Sports Illustrated: Night of Champions" special that airs Saturday, Dec. 15. at 8 p.m. ET.

Sit back and enjoy this very personal interview with a very private man.

Q. Liz Allison: Alan, you grew up in a middle-class family in Newnan, Ga., with your four sisters and your mom and dad. Your father worked in a Ford plant outside of Atlanta for most of your life. What example did he set for you as a working family man?

A. Alan Jackson: I think it was his 40-hour-a week work ethic. He was an honest and hard-working man that worked hard to provide for his family. I forget sometimes how difficult that can be because of my lifestyle now. I try not to forget that.

Alan Jackson uses Concord Motorsports Park to shoot a video in 1995.

Q. Liz Allison: You have such a passion for cars. Where did that come from?

A. Alan Jackson: My father was a car person. He was a mechanic and was always working on cars. He also loved boats. My mom said one time that he traded an electric fan for a car. He did not have much money but he always took care of his family and found a way to work on cars, and he also loved to trade cars.

Q. Liz Allison: Do you have a favorite car?

A. Alan Jackson: I like so many cars, but it would have to be the first car that my wife, Denise, and I dated in and I had as a teen-ager that I bought myself. It was a 1955 white Thunderbird.

Alan Jackson's 1955 Thunderbird

Q. Liz Allison: Your wife, Denise, gave you a special Christmas present in 1993, which was that very same 1955 Thunderbird. How in the world did she track that down?

A. Alan Jackson: We knew who I sold it to in 1979. He was an airline pilot. She started there and eventually found it. She found it in North Carolina in the same condition it was in when I sold it. We have now totally restored it. It has more money in it than it is probably worth.

Q. Liz Allison: A few years ago you shot a video for the song "Who's Cheating Who." You had several Winston Cup drivers in the video. That had to be a blast.

A. Alan Jackson: Yeah, it was for me. I don't know how it was for them. It was a Ford deal and they were all Ford drivers so I am sure they were told they had to do it. They did seem to enjoy it though. They were real nice guys and were so cooperative.

Q. Liz Allison: Did you take a ride around the track?

A. Alan Jackson: I did get to take a ride around the track in one of the Craftsman Trucks and in "Big Foot." It was a lot of fun. I did go to the track there in Charlotte one time for their driving school. I was a little nervous at first. I took that training course which was put on your helmet basically and let's go.

I would tense up around the turns then I would relax and a minute later I was tensed up again. I probably averaged 138 mph with about 160 on the straightaways. I don't know how those guys do what they do at those speeds.

Alan Jackson with Dale Jarrett in 1999

Q. Liz Allison: Dale Jarrett came out to your house in Nashville and toured your garage. You also went as his guest to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the 1999 race where Dale clinched the Winston Cup title. How did you guys get to know each other?

A. Alan Jackson: I met him at that video in Charlotte and he called one time to tell me that he was coming to Nashville for the day. I flew in my single-engine plane to pick him up at the airport and we landed out on my farm. He hung around for while and then I went to the race in Atlanta and hung out with his crew and everybody for the race. It was pretty neat.

Q. Liz Allison: When watching the races, do you pull for anyone in particular?

A. Alan Jackson: That is the problem because I have met so many of those guys. I met Earnhardt, too, and I thought he was great. I do like to pull for the underdog sometimes.

Q. Liz Allison: Speaking of Dale Earnhardt, you are performing in Los Angeles tonight for a show that will air Saturday, Dec. 15, on NBC entitled "Sports Illustrated: Night of Champions." You are singing the tribute segment to Dale.

A. Alan Jackson: Yes I am performing a song I had out a few months ago. It is called "Where I Come From." I was asked to perform that song in his honor. He was a great driver and this is a show of all different sports figures. It should be a good show.

Q. Liz Allison: You have a new song out entitled "Where were you (when the world stopped turning)," which you wrote about the Sept. 11 attacks. This is a different kind of song for you. It is very spiritual and open about your faith.

A. Alan Jackson: I love gospel music and I am religious but very private about it. I woke up at 4 in the morning with the melody going through my head. I feel it was put on my heart to write this song. I got out a recorder and the song just came to me. I was reluctant about other people hearing it because I did not want to be preachy.

Q. Liz Allison: One might say it was divine intervention.

A. Alan Jackson: I have had this happen before but nothing like this experience. The melody and the lyrics are basically the same as I originally wrote them that morning. It was put on my heart for a reason and I am just the messenger.

Q. Liz Allison: Many songs have hidden messages. Does this song have a hidden message?

A. Alan Jackson: I feel like this song speaks for itself. The message is pretty simple and spelled out on the table. I think that is why people like it.

Q. Liz Allison: Songs can be very healing. Was writing this song healing for you?

A. Alan Jackson: I think so to a point. I just wrote what was on my heart and that is always healing.

Q. Liz Allison: This song has touched so many people. You have had such a demand for it that your new record release date has been moved up.

A. Alan Jackson: The response has been overwhelming. I have gotten more compliments on this song than anything else I have done before. My record was to come out later in the year but because so many people wanted it, we have moved the release date to Jan. 15.

Q. Liz Allison: Sept. 11 changed something in most of us. How did it change you?

A. Alan Jackson: I was shocked and depressed when I saw what happened. It took me several weeks to feel normal. It made me feel that what I do for a living is so insignificant. It reminded me of what is important in my life, the simple things. It is like the line in my song " the greatest gift is love"

Alan Jackson lives with his wife of 22 years, Denise, and their three children -- Mattie, Ali and Dani -- in Nashville, Tenn., where they cherish God's greatest gifts: faith, hope and love.

To find out more on Alan Jackson and his fan club log on to www.alanjackson.com or write to: Alan Jackson, Box 121945, Nashville, TN 37212

NOTE: Liz Allison's column appears every Wednesday on NASCAR.com and the opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer. To reach Liz, you can contact her at liz.allison@turner.com.