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USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth in 1982.^[2] The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003.^{[citation needed]} According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the paper has 1.8 million copies as of March 2012^[1] compared with The Wall Street Journal's 2.1 million^[1] though this figure includes the WSJ's 400,000 paid-for, online subscribers.^{[citation needed]} USA Today remains the widest circulated print newspaper in the United States.^{[citation needed]} USA Today is distributed in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, Canada and the United Kingdom.^{[citation needed]} The newspaper has its headquarters in the Tysons Corner area of Fairfax County, Virginia.^[3] Currently,^[when?] USA Today sells for US$1.00 in newsstands; however, it is often found free at hotels and airports that distribute it to their customers.^{[citation needed]}

Layout and format[link]

USA Today is known for synthesizing news down to easy-to-read-and-comprehend stories. In the main edition seen in the United States and some Canadian cities, each edition consists of four sections: News (the oft-labeled "front page" section), Money, Sports, and Life. On Fridays, two Life sections are included: the regular Life for entertainment (subtitled Weekend; section E), which features television, a DVD column, film reviews and trends, and a travel supplement called Destinations & Diversions (section D). The international edition of the paper features two sections: News and Money in one; with Sports and Life in the other.

The paper does not print on Saturdays and Sundays. USA Today prints each complete story on the front page of the respective section with the exception of the cover story. The cover story is a longer story that requires a jump (readers must turn to another page in the paper to complete the story, usually the next page of that section). On certain days, the news or sports section will take up two paper sections, and there will be a second cover story within the second section.

Each section is denoted by a certain color to differentiate sections beyond lettering and is seen in a box the top-left corner of the first page, with News being blue (section A), Money with green (section B), red for Sports (section C), and purple for Life (section D). Orange is used for bonus sections (section E or above), which are published occasionally such as for business travel trends and the Olympics; other bonus sections for sports (such as for the PGA Tour preview, NCAA Basketball Tournaments, Memorial Day auto races (Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600), NFL opening weekend and the Super Bowl) previously used the orange color, but now use the sports red in their bonus sections. On days featuring bonus sections or business holidays (when the four pages of stock tables are unneeded), the Money and Life sections are usually combined into one section, while combinations of the Friday Life editions into one section are common during quiet weeks.

In many ways, USA Today is set up to break the typical newspaper layout. Some examples of that divergence from tradition include using the left-hand quarter of each section as reefers, sometimes using sentence-length blurbs to describe stories inside. It is also the only paper in the United States to utilize the Gulliver font, which is used for both headlines and stories.^[4] Being a national newspaper, USA Today cannot focus on the weather for any one city. Therefore, the entire back page of the News section is used for weather maps and temperature lists for the entire United States and many cities throughout the world, with data provided by Weather Channel meteorologists. In the bottom left-hand corner of the weather page is a graphic called "Weather Focus," which explains different meteorological phenomena. On some days, the Weather Focus could be a photo of a rare meteorological event. On Mondays, the Money section uses its back page to present an unusual graphic depicting the performance of various industry groups as a function of quarterly, monthly and weekly movements against the S&P 500.

Book coverage, including reviews and a national sales chart is seen on Thursdays in Life, with the official full A.C. Nielsen television ratings chart printed on Wednesdays or Thursdays, depending on release. The paper also publishes the Mediabase survey for several genres of music, based on radio airplay spins on Tuesdays, along with their own chart of the top ten singles in general on Wednesdays. Advertising coverage is seen in the Monday Money section, which often includes a review of a current television ad, and after Super Bowl Sunday, a review of the ads aired during the broadcast with the results of the Ad Track live survey.

USA Today is headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

One of the staples of the News section is a state-by-state roundup of headlines. The summaries consist of paragraph-length Associated Press reports highlighting one story of note in each state, the District of Columbia, and one U.S. territory.

Some traditions have been retained, however. The lead story still appears on the upper-right hand of the front page. Commentary and political cartoons occupy the last few pages of the News section. Stock and mutual fund data are presented in the Money section. But USA Today is sufficiently different in aesthetics to be recognized on sight, even in a mix of other newspapers, such as at a newsstand. The overall design and layout of USA Today has been described as both neo-Victorian^[5] and Impressionist.^[6]

Also, in most of the sections' front pages, on the lower left hand corner, are "USA Today Snapshots", which give statistics of various lifestyle interests according to the section it is in (for example, a snapshot in "Life" could show how many people tend to watch a certain genre of television show based upon the type of mood they are in at the time). These "Snapshots" are shown through graphs which are made up of various illustrations of objects that roughly pertain to the graphs subject matter (using the example above, the graph's bars could be made up of several TV sets, or ended by one). These are usually loosely based on research by a national institute (with the source in the box below the graph in fine print to show credit).

Starting in February 2008, the newspaper added a magazine supplement called Open Air, appearing several times a year.^{[citation needed]}

2011 Tweaks[link]

On January 24, 2011, to reverse a slide of revenue, the paper introduced a tweaked format, changing a few looks of the front pages of sections.^[7]

Some of the changes include:

• A larger logo at the top.
• A new sans-serif font, called Prelo, for certain headlines of main stories.
• Increasing and decreasing of mastheads and white space in order to present a cleaner style.

Opinion Section[link]

The opinion section prints USA Today editorials, columns by guest writers and members of the Board of Contributors,^[8] letters to the editor, and editorial cartoons. One unique feature of the USA Today editorial page is the publication of opposing points of view alongside the editorial board's piece on the day's topic runs an opposing view by a guest writer, often an expert in the field.^[9]

The current^[when?] Editorial Page Editor is Brian Gallagher, who has worked for the newspaper since its founding in 1982. Other members of the Editorial Board include deputy editorial page editor Bill Sternberg, executive Forum editor John Siniff, op-ed/Forum page editor Glen Nishimura, operations editor Thuan Le Elston, letters editor Michelle Poblete, web content editor Eileen Rivers, and editorial writers Dan Carney, George Hager, and Saundra Torry.^[10] The newspaper's website calls this group "demographically and ideologically diverse."^[9]

Newsroom restructuring[link]

On August 27, 2010, USA Today announced that they would be reorganizing their newsroom. 130 people are to be laid off, a new publication called USA Today Sports will be created, and the paper will be shifting its focus away from print and more on digital platforms like USA Today.com and their mobile phone applications (apps).

Online commenting on articles[link]

USA Today requires a membership in Facebook in order to leave comments on news stories.^[11] People who are not members of Facebook can no longer comment on articles.

Controversial incidents[link]

Arthur Ashe[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

In 1988, Arthur Ashe discovered he had contracted HIV during blood transfusions he received during one of his two heart surgeries. He and his wife kept his illness private until April 8, 1992, when reports that the newspaper USA Today was about to publish a story about his condition forced him to make a public announcement that he had the disease.

Jack Kelley[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

In March 2004, the newspaper was hit by a major scandal when it was revealed that Jack Kelley, a long-time USA Today correspondent and nominee for the Pulitzer Prize, had been fabricating stories. The newspaper did an extensive review of Kelley's stories, including sending investigators to Cuba, Israel and Jordan, and sifting through stacks of hotel records to determine if Kelley was in the locations he claimed to be filing stories from. Kelley resigned, but denied the charges. The paper's publisher, Craig Moon, issued a public apology on the front page of the newspaper. Many remarked on the similarity of this scandal to that of the Jayson Blair situation at The New York Times, although it received less national attention.

NSA Database[link]

This section may stray from the topic of the article into the topic of another article, NSA. Please help improve this section or discuss this issue on the talk page. (April 2012)

In May 2006, USA Today reported that the National Security Agency had been working with AT&T, Verizon, and BellSouth to compile "the largest database in the world," according to the anonymous sources inside the agency that went public.^[12] This allowed the paper to uncover a new facet of the agency and further upset the White House after the New York Times revealed the Bush administration authorized the NSA to wiretap international phone calls and e-mails traveling within the U.S.^[13]

Both stories challenged the administration's ability to spy on alleged terrorists without a judge's approval, a provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act established in 1978. But unlike the Times' story, the USA Today story provoked private telecommunications companies to enter the debate amid the initial developments for the next Telecommunications Act, popularly nicknamed the "net neutrality" or "equal internet access" bill.

On June 29, 2006, a press release for AT&T stated, "The U.S. Department of Justice has stated that AT&T may neither confirm nor deny AT&T's participation in the alleged NSA program because doing so would cause 'exceptionally grave harm to national security' and would violate both civil and criminal statutes."^[14] BellSouth, which announced its merger with AT&T on March 5,^[15] denies releasing any records to the NSA ^[16] and requested the newspaper retract claims in its story asserting BellSouth "provided phone records of its customers to NSA."^[17] "Both BellSouth and Verizon Communications Inc., another company cited in the story, denied this week that they provided the calling records," according to the AP.^[18] On June 30, USA Today published a statement: "The denial was unexpected. The newspaper had spoken with BellSouth and Verizon for several weeks about the substance of the report."^[19]

On August 17, 2006, U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit issued a 43-page ruling stating the program is unconstitutional,^[20] but did not immediately suspend the program and grants a temporary stay, in which the American Civil Liberties Union continued fighting the program's legality in the case ACLU v. NSA.

Taylor's ruling states the program violates the FISA court standards, which provide oversight for all wire taps. The FISA court provides retroactive review of all government wiretaps and allows all government agencies 72 hours before presenting their case for wiretapping before the court. "There are no hereditary kings in America and no such powers created by the constitution," Taylor writes.

In a USA Today editorial, the staff wrote, "Much has changed since terrorists rammed planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. But one thing that has not is that America is a constitutional democracy with checks and balances. A ruling such as Thursday's is a useful and forceful affirmation of that."^[21]

The White House issued a statement saying that it disagreed with the decision and declared that the program was legal.^[22]

Finally in 2007, the Taylor ruling was reversed for lack of evidence by the Supreme Court, which said that the ACLU had no evidence that its own communications had been intercepted without a warrant, and therefore the ACLU did not have a basis to challenge the legality of the wiretaps. The majority decision denied that the ACLU had the standing to bring the case to court. The Supreme Court declined to rule on the legality of the wiretap program.

TV show[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

In the fall of 1988, an attempt was made to bring the breezy style of USA Today to television. The result was the syndicated series USA Today: The Television Show (later re-titled USA Today on TV, then simply USA Today), which was a joint venture between Gannett and producer Grant Tinker. Correspondents on the series included Edie Magnus, Robin Young, Boyd Matson, Kenneth Walker, Dale Harimoto, Ann Abernathy, Bill Macatee, and Beth Ruyak. As with the newspaper itself, the show was divided into four "sections" corresponding to the different parts of the paper – News, Money, Sports, and Life. The series was canceled after one and a half seasons in January 1990 due to low ratings.

Awards[link]

• List of USA Today major-league baseball awards
• USA Today Minor League Player of the Year Award
• USA Today All-USA high school baseball team (including High School Baseball Player of the Year and High School Baseball Coach of the Year)
• USA Today All-USA high school basketball team
• USA Today All-Joe Team (NFL)
• USA Today/National Prep Poll High School Football National Championship
• USA Today All-USA high school football team (including Super 25 teams in U.S. and Top 10 teams in East, South, Midwest, and West regions)
• USA Today All-USA high school football team (including Offensive and Defensive high school players of the year)
• USA Today High School Football Coach of the Year

Parodies[link]

Parodies of USA Today have appeared in various films and TV shows over the years, such as:

• The Harvard Lampoon published a parody issue of USA Today in 1986.
• A futuristic 2015 edition of USA Today (Hill Valley edition) is seen in Back to the Future Part II (1989)
• A spinoff red planet version entitled Mars Today seen in Total Recall (1990)
• An animated, dynamically updating e-paper version seen in Minority Report (2002)
• A paper called BSA Today in an alternate reality where North America is still governed by the United Kingdom as the British States of America, seen in Sliders (1995)
• Universe Today appeared in Babylon 5. The newspaper is custom-printed at a booth, where each customer can choose certain sections to include or exclude. It included at least an "Eye on Minbari" section.
• An extended sequence of Doonesbury strips in the 1980s mocked the paper.
• In The Simpsons episode Homer Defined, Homer reads a newspaper called USofA Today with the cover story: "America's Favorite Pencil - #2 is #1." Homer reads aloud another headline: "SAT scores are declining at a slower rate." After Lisa criticizes it, Homer says "this is the only newspaper in the country that is not afraid to tell the truth: that everything is just fine".
• The comedy publication The Onion publishes a feature on its front page called "Statshot," patterned after similar statistics published on the front page of USA Today.
• The 1988 computer game Hidden Agenda featured excerpts from a newspaper called 'USA Yesterday' in press digests.
• The alternate history movie C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America (2004) features a newspaper called CSA Today.
• Country musician Alan Jackson has a song Entitled "USA Today" in which the paper thinks about doing a story of the loneliest man in the "USA Today". The Song is on his What I Do CD released in 2004.
• Comedian Stephen Colbert frequently refers to it as "Today's The USA Today". He sarcastically criticizes the newspaper for its abundant use of colors and flashy, uninformative infographics.

See also[link]

	Virginia portal
	Journalism portal

• USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Official website (Mobile)
• USA Today articles indexed by reporter
• Nieman Journalism Lab. "USA Today". Encyclo: an Encyclopedia of the Future of News. http://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/usa-today/. Retrieved 1 April 2012. 

Lee Greenwood
Lee Greenwood performing in his trademark Stars and Stripes jacket.
Background information
Birth name	Lee Melvin Greenwood[1]
Born	(1942-10-27) October 27, 1942 (age 69) Los Angeles, California, United States
Origin	Sacramento, California
Genres	Country, Pop
Occupations	Singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, piano, saxophone
Years active	1981–present
Labels	MCA, Capitol, Liberty, Curb, Country Crossing
Website	www.leegreenwood.com

Lee Melvin Greenwood (born October 27, 1942) is an American country music artist. Active since the early 1980s, he has released more than twenty major-label albums and has charted more than 35 singles on the Billboard country music charts.

Greenwood is best known for his single "God Bless the USA", which was popular when it was originally released in 1984, and became popular again after the 9/11 attacks (becoming his highest charting pop hit, reaching No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100). He also has charted seven No. 1 hits in his career: "Somebody's Gonna Love You", "Going, Going, Gone", "Dixie Road", "I Don't Mind the Thorns (If You're the Rose)", "Don't Underestimate My Love For You", "Hearts Aren't Made to Break (They're Made to Love)", and "Mornin' Ride". His 1983 single "I.O.U." was also a top five hit on the adult contemporary charts, and a No. 53 on the Hot 100.

Early life[link]

Greenwood was born in Los Angeles, California. After the separation of his parents, he grew up near Sacramento^[2] on the poultry farm of his maternal grandparents. At the age of seven, he began playing the piano and the saxophone, and at the age of nine became a member of a dance ensemble. In 1969, he joined the Chester Smith Band and had his first television appearance. A short time later, he worked with the country musician Del Reeves.

He founded his first band, The Apollos, in 1962. The band, which changed its name later to Lee Greenwood Affair, played mostly pop music and appeared mostly in casinos in Las Vegas. A few records were recorded in Los Angeles with the Paramount label. After the band broke up in the 1970s, Greenwood moved back to Las Vegas, where he worked as a blackjack dealer during the day, and as a singer at night.

Career[link]

In 1979, he was discovered in Reno, Nevada by Larry McFaden, the bandleader and bassist of Mel Tillis. After making some demo tapes, Greenwood was signed in 1981 by the Nashville division of the MCA label (who had recently absorbed the Paramount label), and McFaden became his manager.

The first single, "It Turns Me Inside Out", made it to a spot in the top 20 of the country charts. The song had been written for Kenny Rogers, but Rogers turned it down due to the sheer volume of songs he had been offered at the time. "Ring On Her Finger, Time on Her Hands" landed him in the country top 10. Each song was marketed heavily, particularly in the South Florida market by MCA Account Service Rep, Brad Fitzgerald, among others. Lee Greenwood did not write Inside Out. It was written by Jan Crutchfield.

He is best known for writing and recording the patriotic song "God Bless the USA" in the early 1980s. In 1995, he was featured with the song in the Warren Chaney docudrama, America: A Call to Greatness.^[3] "God Bless the USA" gained renewed popularity following the launch of Operation: Desert Storm in 1991, and again, ten years later, following the September 11, 2001 attacks; in fact, the song even re-entered the Top 20 of the country charts in late 2001. Since then, Greenwood has played at many public events and commemorations of the attacks.

Political views and advocacy[link]

He supports the Republican Party.^{[citation needed]}

In November 2008, President George W. Bush appointed Greenwood to a six-year term to the National Council on the Arts.^[4]

Theater[link]

In 1995, Greenwood took a break from his touring schedule to spend time with his wife and newborn son. In his time off, he elected to build a theater in Sevierville, Tennessee, and in April 1996, the "Lee Greenwood Theater" opened its doors.^[2] This gave Greenwood the opportunity to still perform daily shows, in addition to being with his family. The theater operated for five seasons, and closed for Greenwood to continue touring. The theater was not located in the heavily entertainment and tourist oriented areas of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Gatlinburg, Tennessee which contributed to the theater closing.^{[citation needed]} The former theater building is now host to a church.

Family[link]

Greenwood has been married four times and is the father of six children. He is currently married to former Miss Tennessee USA, Kimberly Payne.^[2][5]

Discography[link]

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Wood, Gerry (1998). "Lee Greenwood". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 212–3.

External links[link]

• Official website

Alan Jackson
Jackson in April 2010
Background information
Birth name	Alan Eugene Jackson
Born	(1958-10-17) October 17, 1958 (age 53)
Origin	Newnan, Georgia USA
Genres	Country, Neotraditional country
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1989–present
Labels	Arista Nashville EMI Nashville/Alan's Country Records
Associated acts	Keith Stegall, George Strait, The Wrights, Zac Brown Band, Jeff Foxworthy, The Bellamy Brothers, George Jones
Website	www.alanjackson.com

Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American country music singer, known for blending traditional honky tonk and mainstream country sounds and penning many of his own hits. He has recorded 13 studio albums, 3 Greatest Hits albums, 2 Holiday albums, 1 Gospel album and several compilations, all on the Arista Nashville label. More than 50 of his singles have appeared on Billboard's list of the "Top 30 Country Songs". Of Jackson's entries, 35 were number-one hits, with 50 in the Top 10. He is the recipient of 2 Grammys, 16 CMA Awards, 17 ACM Awards and nominee of multiple other awards. Jackson is also a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and he was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

Early life[link]

Jackson was born to Joseph Eugene Jackson and Ruth Musick in Newnan, Georgia, and has four older siblings. Jackson is of English descent.^[1][2] As a youth, Jackson listened primarily to gospel music. Otherwise he was not a major music fan. However, a friend of his introduced him to the music of Gene Watson, John Anderson and Hank Williams Jr. Jackson attended the local Elm Street Elementary and Newnan High School, starting a band after high school. After a time, he and his wife of six years, Denise Jackson, moved from Newnan to Nashville where Jackson hoped to pursue music full-time.^[3]

Jackson sang in church as a child. He, his father, mother, and four sisters lived in a small home. At one point, his bed was in the hallway for lack of room. His mother lives in the home to this day. His first job, at 12, was in a shoe store. He wrote his first song in 1983. He worked as a car salesman in his 20s.

Career[link]

This section requires expansion with: More info on each individual album, critical reception, etc. etc..

In Tennessee, Jackson got a job in The Nashville Network's mailroom.^[3] Denise connected him with Glen Campbell, who helped jumpstart his career.^[4] Jackson eventually signed with Arista.^[3] By 1989, he became the first signee to the newly-formed Arista Nashville branch of Arista Records.^[5]

Arista released Jackson's debut single, "Blue Blooded Woman", in late 1989. Although the song failed to reach top 40 on Hot Country Songs, he reached number three by early 1990 with "Here in the Real World".^[6] This song served as the title track to his debut album, Here in the Real World, which also included two more top five hits ("Wanted" and "Chasin' That Neon Rainbow") and his first number one, "I'd Love You All Over Again".^[6]

Don't Rock the Jukebox was the title of Jackson's second album. Released in 1991, it included four number-one singles: the title track, "Someday", "Dallas" and "Love's Got a Hold on You", and the number three "Midnight in Montgomery".^[6] Jackson also co-wrote several songs on Randy Travis' 1992 album High Lonesome.^[5]

A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'bout Love), his third album, accounted for the number one hits "She's Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues)" (which Travis co-wrote) and "Chattahoochee", plus the top five hits "Tonight I Climbed the Wall", "Mercury Blues" and "(Who Says) You Can't Have It All". "Chattahoochee" also won him the 1994 Country Music Association (CMA) awards for Single and Song of the Year.

In 1994 Jackson left his management company, Ten Ten Management, which had overseen his career up to that point, and switched to Gary Overton.^[7] His fourth album was titled Who I Am, and it contained four number one hits: a cover of the Eddie Cochran standard "Summertime Blues", followed by "Livin' on Love", "Gone Country" and "I Don't Even Know Your Name". An additional track from the album, a cover of Rodney Crowell's "Song for the Life", made number six. In late 1994, Clay Walker reached number one with "If I Could Make a Living", which Jackson co-wrote.^[8] Alan also appeared on an episode of Home Improvement, singing his hit song Mercury Blues in 1996, appearing on Tool Time to sing about his 1950 Mercury.

Mid-late 1990s[link]

"The Greatest Hits Collection" was released on October 24, 1995. The disc contained 17 hits, two newly-recorded songs ("I'll Try" and "Tall, Tall Trees"), and the song "Home" from "Here in the Real World" that had never been released as a single.^[9] These first two songs both made number one.

Everything I Love followed in 1996. Its first single was a cover of Tom T. Hall's "Little Bitty", which Jackson took to the top of the charts in late 1996. The album also included the number one hit "There Goes" and a number two cover of Charly McClain's 1980 single "Who's Cheatin' Who". The album's fifth single was "A House with No Curtains", which became his first release since 1989 to miss the top 10.^[6]

High Mileage was led off by the number four "I'll Go On Loving You". After it came the album's only number one hit, "Right on the Money", co-written by Phil Vassar.

With Jackson's release of Under the Influence in 1999, he took the double risk on an album of covers of country classics while retaining a traditional sound when a rock- and pop-tinged sound dominated country radio.^[10]

When the Country Music Association (CMA) asked George Jones to trim his act to 90 seconds for the 1999 CMA awards, Jones decided to boycott the event. In solidarity, Jackson interrupted his own song and launched into Jones's song "Choices" and then walked offstage.^[11]

2000s-present[link]

Jackson performing in 2002

After country music changed toward pop music in the 2000s, he and George Strait criticized the state of country music on the song "Murder on Music Row". The song sparked debate in the country music community about whether or not "traditional" country music was actually dead or not.^[12] Despite the fact that the song was not officially released as a single, it became the highest-charting nonseasonal album cut (not available in any retail single configuration or released as a promotional single to radio during a chart run) to appear on Hot Country Singles & Tracks in the Broadcast Data Systems era, beating the record previously held by Garth Brooks' "Belleau Wood." The duo were invited to open the 2000 Academy of Country Music Awards (ACMAs) with a performance of the tune.^[13] Rolling Stone commented on Jackson's style remarking, "If Garth and Shania have raised the bar for country concerts with Kiss-style production and endless costume changes, then Alan Jackson is doing his best to return the bar to a more human level."^[14] After the September 11, 2001 attacks, Jackson released "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" as a tribute to those killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The song became a hit single and briefly propelled him into the mainstream spotlight.

At the 2001 CMA Awards, Jackson debuted the song "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning". The performance was generally considered the highlight of the show, and Jackson's site crashed the next day from server requests.^[15] The song came to Jackson suddenly, and had not been scheduled for any official release, but the live performance began receiving radio airplay and was soon released as a single.

Jackson released a Christmas album, titled Let It Be Christmas, October 22, 2002.^[16]

Jeannie Kendall contacted Jackson to do a duet, and he suggested the song "Timeless and True Love". It appeared on her first solo album, released in 2003.^[17]

In early 2006, Jackson released his first gospel music album entitled Precious Memories. He put together the album by the request of his mother, who enjoys religious music. Jackson considered this album a "side project" and nothing too official, but it was treated as such. Over 1.8 million albums were sold.

Only mere months after the release of Precious Memories in 2006, Jackson released his next album Like Red on a Rose, which featured a more adult contemporary/folk sound.

Unlike his previous albums, Like Red on a Rose had a different producer and sound. Alan's main producer for his music, Keith Stegall, was notably absent from this album. Instead, Alison Krauss was hired to produce the album. She also chose the songs.

Despite being labeled as "country music" or "bluegrass", Like Red on a Rose had a mainstream sound to it, upsetting some fans, even making some of them believe that Jackson was abandoning his traditional past and aiming toward a more mainstream pop sound.

However, for his next album, he went back to his country roots. Good Time was released on March 4, 2008. The album's first single, "Small Town Southern Man", was released to radio on November 19.

"Country Boy", "Sissy's Song" and the final single from the album, "I Still Like Bologna", were also released as singles.

"Sissy's Song" is dedicated to a longtime friend of the Jackson family (Leslie "Sissy" Fitzgerald) who worked in their house everyday. Fitzgerald was killed in a motorcycle accident in mid-2007.

His sixteenth studio album, Freight Train, was released on March 30, 2010. The first single was "It's Just That Way", which debuted at #50 in January 2010. "Hard Hat and a Hammer" is the album's second single, released in May 2010.

On November 23, 2010, Jackson released another greatest hits package, entitled 34 Number Ones, which features a cover of the Johnny Cash hit "Ring of Fire", as well as the duet with Zac Brown Band, "As She's Walking Away".

On Jan. 20, 2011, it was announced that Jackson and his record label, Sony, parted ways.^[18]

On March 23, 2011, Jackson announced his new deal with Capitol's EMI Records Nashville. It is a joint venture between ACR (Alan's Country Records) and Capitol. All records will be released and marketed through Capitol's EMI Records Nashville label.^[19]

Jackson has since released two singles, "Long Way to Go" and "So You Don't Have to Love Me Anymore." Both videos were directed by Steven Goldmann. Both songs are to be included on his upcoming studio album for his own label, Thirty Miles West, which will be released on June 5, 2012.

Awards, nominations and induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame[link]

In 1989 he was nominated for a total of six Country Music Association awards (CMAs).^[4]

He was nominated for four 1994 CMAs, including Entertainer of the Year.^[2]

Jackson became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1991; he was inducted by Roy Acuff and Randy Travis.^[20]

Jackson was the most nominated artist at the 29th annual TNN/Music City News Country Awards that was broadcast June 5 from the Grand Ole Opry House. His six nominations included best entertainer, male artist, vocal collaboration, album, single, and video (two nominations in this category).^[21]

At the 2002 CMAs, Jackson set a record for having the most nominations in a single year – ten – many rising from the song "Where Were You". It also brought his career total up to the second number of most nominations ever, after George Strait.^[22] "Where Were You" also was nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year. The song was also subsequently parodied in the South Park episode "A Ladder To Heaven".

At the 2003 Academy of Country Music Awards, Jackson won Album of the Year for Drive and Video of the Year for the video to "Drive (For Daddy Gene)."^[23]

Jackson was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame on October 22, 2001 in Atlanta.^[24]

Alan Jackson was selected to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010

Alan Jackson Collection at Cracker Barrel[link]

In 2009, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. started to carry the "Alan Jackson Collection" which included a special release CD available exclusively at Cracker Barrel, cowboy style shirts and t-shirts, baseball caps, home goods (candles, kitchen goods) including an old-fashion wooden rocking chair that has a metal plate of Alan's autograph on the headrest; toys, spices and BBQ sauces/rubs and a replica of his own personal cowboy hat.^[25]

Ford trucks endorsement[link]

Ford's agency J. Walter Thompson USA in Detroit, in 1997, worked out with Jackson a multimillion-dollar, multi-year contract for his sole endorsement of Ford trucks. In his video for "Who's Cheatin' Who" he was behind the wheel of a "Big Foot" Ford F-150 pickup truck, and Ford's five NASCAR vehicles (at the time) were prominently featured. Additionally, he changed the lyrics "Crazy 'bout a Mercury" of the song "Mercury Blues" to "Crazy 'bout a Ford truck" in a TV ad for the Ford F-series.^[26]

Touring[link]

Jackson headlined the 1995 Fruit Of The Loom Comfort Tour, a deal worth $40 million. It began January 20 in New Orleans and ran for a hundred dates.^[27]

Alan Jackson's 2004 concert tour launched January 23 in Fort Myers, Florida and was sponsored by NAPA Auto Parts in a deal that included Jackson's endorsement in TV spots. The tour included more than 50 U.S. dates. Martina McBride was the opening for some of the shows.^[28]

In March 2011 he visited Australia to perform for the CMC Rocks The Hunter music festival where he was the headline act for Saturday night.^[29]

Band[link]

Alan Jackson's backup band (since 1989) is "The Strayhorns". The current line-up of musicians is:

• Monty Allen – acoustic guitar, harmony vocals
• Scott Coney – acoustic guitar, tic tac bass, banjo
• Robbie Flint – steel guitar
• Danny Groah – lead guitar
• Mark McClurg - fiddle, harmony vocals
• Bruce Rutherford – drums
• Joey Schmidt – keyboards
• Roger Wills – bass guitar

Personal life[link]

Jackson with his family at a ceremony to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April 2010

Jackson married his high school sweetheart, Denise Jackson, on December 15, 1979. They are the parents of three daughters: Mattie Denise (born June 19, 1990), Alexandra Jane "Ali" (born August 23, 1993), and Dani Grace (born August 28, 1997). Although the couple separated for several months in 1998 due to the strains of Jackson's career as well as his infidelity;^[30] they have since reconciled. Their story is referenced in several of Jackson's songs, including "She Likes It Too" and "Remember When". Denise and their daughters appear in the latter song's video.

Denise Jackson wrote a book that topped The New York Times Best Seller list that covered her life with Jackson, their relationship, separation over his infidelity, and recommitment to each other, and her commitment to Christianity, the book was titled It's All About Him: Finding the Love of My Life, which was published in 2007. In May 2008 she released a Gift Book titled "The Road Home."

Jackson's nephew, Adam Wright, is also a country music singer-songwriter. Adam and his wife, Shannon, perform together as a duo called The Wrights.^[31] The Wrights co-wrote two songs and sang harmony vocals on Jackson's What I Do album.

Jackson is a cousin of Major League Baseball player Brandon Moss.^[32]

In June 2009, Jackson listed his 135-acre (0.55 km²) estate just outside of Franklin, TN for sale. The asking price was $38 million. The property sold in late May 2010 for $28 million, one of the highest prices ever for a home sale in the Nashville area.^[33] In 2010, after Alan Jackson said goodbye to Sweetbriar, his estate just outside of Franklin, the singer then moved into a slightly smaller but equally luxurious home in the same Nashville suburb. The singer and his wife paid $3.675 million for the estate in June 2010, but less than a year later, they’ve listed the home for $3.995 million. ^[34]

Jackson maintains a close friendship with fellow country singer, George Jones. Jones has been mentioned in songs such as "Don't Rock the Jukebox" (Jones also appeared in the video which accompanied it) and "Murder on Music Row". The song "Just Playin' Possum" is dedicated to Jones and talks of how Alan only wants to lie low and play possum, possum referring to George Jones. Jones can also be seen in the video for "Good Time". In 2008, Jones was a surprise guest at Jackson's "CMT Giants" ceremony, where he thanked Jackson for his friendship. He's also close friends with George Strait, who sang "Murder On Music Row" with him. Besides his associations with big stars, Alan also maintains his connections to his roots and old friends.^[35] From his early days of playing the guitar with his old high school friend and fellow musician David "Bird" Burgess, on the Burgess' family front porch, it was evident Alan was going to be Newnan's rising star.^[35] While Bird Burgess has left the country music scene to pursue other avenues, the two have remained friends.^[35] As further evidence to his strong connection to his roots, Alan has given back to the community of Newnan, and in response the city of Newnan dedicated a major thoroughfare the Alan Jackson Highway.

As of February 2012, Jackson's introduction paragraph along with the Early Life paragraph from this Wikipedia article are repeatedly printed in the showroom books in the IKEA store in the municipality of Tianjin in The People's Republic of China.

Discography[link]

Awards[link]

American Music Awards

• American Music Award for Favorite Country Single 1993; "Chattahoochee"
• 1993 Favorite Country Album – "A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'bout Love)"

Academy of Country Music

• 1990 Top New Male Vocalist
• 1991 Album of the Year – "Don't Rock the Jukebox"
• 1991 Single of the Year – "Don't Rock the Jukebox"
• 1993 Album of the Year – "A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'bout Love)"
• 1993 Single of the Year – "Chattahoochee"
• 1994 Top Male Vocalist
• 1995 Top Male Vocalist
• 2001 Single of the Year – "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)"
• 2001 Song of the Year – "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)"
• 2001 Top Male Vocalist
• 2002 Album of the Year – "Drive"
• 2002 Video of the Year – "Drive (For Daddy Gene)"
• 2003 Single of the Year – "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere"
• 2003 Vocal Event of the Year with Jimmy Buffett – "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere"

Country Music Association

• 1992 Music Video of the Year – "Midnight in Montgomery"
• 1993 Music Video of the Year – "Chattahoochee"
• 1993 Single of the Year – "Chattahoochee"
• 1993 Vocal Event of the Year - "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair"
• 1994 Song of the Year with Jim McBride – "Chattahoochee"
• 1995 Entertainer of the Year
• 2000 Vocal Event of the Year - "Murder on Music Row"
• 2002 Album of the Year – "Drive"
• 2002 Male Vocalist of the Year
• 2002 Entertainer of the Year
• 2002 Single of the Year – "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)"
• 2002 Song of the Year – "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)"
• 2003 Entertainer of the Year
• 2003 Male Vocalist of the Year
• 2003 Vocal Event of the Year with Jimmy Buffett – "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere"

Grammy Awards

• 2002 Best Country Song – "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)"
• 2011 Best Country Collaboration with Vocals- "As She's Walking Away", with Zac Brown Band

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Alan Jackson website
• Official Music Videos
• http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0603581/