Alan Jackson photo courtesy of Schmidt Relations.

Alan Jackson isn’t known for being talkative. In fact, the shy superstar rarely does interviews. That’s why you don’t want to miss our exclusive new special, Backstory: Alan Jackson, premiering this Thursday, Dec. 22 at 10/9c! Alan and his wife Denise sat down for a rare open and candid chat about his remarkable career, as well as their marriage and family.

The problems he and Denise experienced in their marriage in the ‘90s are well-documented. “God took our mess and made something wonderful out of it,” Denise said. “We have the marriage we always wanted and I don’t think we would’ve had we not gone through that separation.” Their love and strong commitment to one another got them through what was possibly the most difficult year of their lengthy union. In 2010, Denise was diagnosed with cancer, a diagnosis that shocked their family.

“I just couldn’t believe it, it was unreal,” said Alan.  “To see her go through that, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through. I’ve been taking care of her since she was 16, but I couldn’t do anything to help her. It was tough.”

“But there were blessings in it,” Denise says. “For my children to see my faith in a situation like this, I think it made a profound impact on them.”

A member of the now-famous country music new artist “Class of ’89″ (classmates included Garth Brooks and Clint Black), Alan has charted an amazing 35 No. 1 hits and wrote or co-wrote 24 of them. “It’s great to see an artist like Alan Jackson who knows who he is, who doesn’t waver based on what’s going on.  He just keeps being Alan,” says Lee Ann Womack.

Alan clearly knows what works and has always kept it simple.  “Most of the singers I admire – Gene Watson, Charley Pride – they just sing,” he says.  “They’re not out there doing anything crazy.”

Here’s a sneak peek of Backstory: Alan Jackson: Continue Reading

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Charlie Daniels photo courtesy of Webster PR.

The Grand Ole Opry is returning to its most famous former home, the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The Opry began its three month winter run at the Ryman on Tuesday night with a show featuring Rascal Flatts, Rodney Atkins and more. Artists scheduled to appear at the Opry at the Ryman include Dierks Bentley, Emmylou Harris, The Civil Wars, Marshall Tucker Band, Charley Pride, Darius Rucker, Josh Turner, Keith Urban, Charlie Daniels and more.

Over the weekend, the Opry helped Charlie Daniels celebrate his 75th birthday with a cake before his performance. Check out the photo HERE.

During the show, Tennessee National Guard Major General Max Haston promoted Charlie to the Guard’s rank of Brigadier General. Charlie was inducted into the Opry family in 2008.  Continue Reading

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Photo courtesy of Showboat Records.

GAC extends condolences to the family, friends and fans of songwriter Liz Anderson, mother of “Rose Garden” singer Lynn Anderson. Liz passed away October 31 at the age of 80 from complications of heart and lung disease. Liz and her husband Casey were successful songwriters, with Merle Haggard’s “(My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers” and “(I’m A Lonesome) Fugitive” among their compositions.

Born in Roseau, Minnesota, Liz played mandolin as a child and sang in her local church choir. At 13, her family moved to Grand Fork, North Dakota and at 16, she married husband Casey. Lynn was born a year later. In 1957, the family moved to Sacramento, California where the limited popularity of country music led Liz to start writing songs. Casey was a member of the Sherriff’s Posse which was going to take part in the National Centennial Pony Express Celebration . He convinced his wife to write a song in honor of the Pony Express, which went on to be named the celebration’s official song.

Liz began publishing songs and made friends with the growing country music community in Bakersfield during the early 60s. Some of her earliest hits were “Be Quiet Mind” recorded by Del Reeves and “Pick of the Week” recorded by Roy Drusky. Many artists in the 1960s recorded at least one of her songs on their albums, including Charley Pride, Tammy Wynette, George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Kitty Wells, Connie Smith and Bill Anderson. She went on to publish more than 260 songs during her career and earned five BMI Awards. Continue Reading

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Photo by Chris Hollo, courtesy of Schmidt Relations.

The Grand Ole Opry celebrated its  86^th birthday with a night of music, the Opry debut of one of country music’s most recognizable voices, the induction of its newest member, a giant cake and lots of balloons. The show was aired live on GAC as part of Opry Live.

Little Jimmy Dickens, Jeannie Seely, The Whites, Charley Pride, Jimmy C. Newman and Chuck Mead were all on hand to start off the evening. Opry member Craig Morgan was also in the Opry House. He kicked up the tempo with his new single, “This Ole Boy,” before performing his first ever No. 1, “That’s What I Love About Sunday.” He also debuted a brand new song, “More Trucks Than Cars,” for the Opry audience that will be on his upcoming album. Continue Reading

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Rascal Flatts is invited to join the Opry by member Vince Gill. Photo by Chris Hollo, courtesy of Schmidt Relations.

The Grand Ole Opry is celebrating their 86^th birthday the whole month of October  and this weekend will mark the Opry’s official Birthday Bash. If you can’t make it to Nashville, you can catch a lot of the action on GAC during episodes of Opry Live scheduled to air on Saturday, October 8 and Tuesday, October 11.

On Friday, October 7, Jason Michael Carroll, Crystal Bowersox, Mandy Barnett, Ricky Skaggs, Connie Smith and The Whites are just some of the talents on the Opry’s schedule. Mandy Barnett will sign copies of her CD Sweet Dreams and her new Christmas album, Winter Wonderland, in the Opry Shop from 5:30 to 6:30 prior to the show.

On Saturday, October 8, Jean Shepard, Charley Pride, Craig Morgan, Ronnie Dunn (who will be making his Opry debut as a solo artist) and Rascal Flatts, who will be inducted as the newest members of the Opry family, are on tap, among others. You can catch the show live on GAC during Opry Live at 9/8 CT.

Taking the Opry stage on Tuesday, October 11 will be Chris Young, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, LeAnn Rimes, Montgomery Gentry, Sara Evans, Scotty McCreery and Trace Adkins. Some performances will be broadcast live on Opry Live at 8/7 CT on GAC. Other performances from the night will be filmed for an episode of Opry Live to air October 29 at 9/8 CT. Continue Reading

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Martina McBride on the Grand Ole Opry. Photo by Chris Hollo, courtesy of Schmidt Relations.

The Grand Ole Opry will celebrate its 86th birthday the whole month of October with a list of all-star artists and special shows and events, many of which will be aired on GAC during episodes of Opry Live.

The party kicks off October 4 when the Opry honors Randy Travis for 25 years in country music and as an Opry member. Carrie Underwood, Connie Smith and Josh Turner are just a few of the artists scheduled to be on hand to honor Randy. Several performances from the night will be part of an episode of Opry Live to air on GAC October 15 at 9/8 CT.

The Opry’s Official 86th Birthday Bash Weekend will be held October 7 and 8 and feature performances from Charley Pride, Rascal Flatts and the solo Opry debut of Ronnie Dunn. Other events scheduled for the weekend are a Saturday afternoon birthday concert featuring Mel Tillis and a free Opry Plaza Birthday Party. GAC will broadcast the birthday party live on Opry Live at 9/8 CT.

Chris Young, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, LeAnn Rimes, Montgomery Gentry, Sara Evans, Scotty McCreery and Trace Adkins are all scheduled to appear on the Opry October 11. The night will also include a live broadcast of Opry Live at 8/7 CT. Other performances from the night will be filmed for a an episode of Opry Live to air October 29 at 9/8 CT. Continue Reading

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Opry member Charley Pride photo by Chris Hollo, courtesy of Schmidt Relations.

Opry Country Classics returns to the Ryman Auditorium for a four-week run beginning October 6. Each show will feature a Spotlight Artist performing several of their biggest hits plus more favorite artists. The fall’s season Spotlight Artists together have 100 Top 10 hits, have won more than 100 industry awards and sold millions of albums.

Charley Pride will take the spotlight for the October 6 show. Lorrie Morgan is scheduled as the spotlight artist on October 13, Ray Price on October 20 and Ricky Skaggs on October 27. Of note, the October 13 show will move from the Ryman to the Grand Ole Opry. Continue Reading

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Cowboy Jack Clement, famed musician and producer, lost his Nashville home of 40 years in a fire Saturday morning, reports The Tennessean. Jack’s girlfriend, Aleene Jackson, and others escaped the home unharmed. Priceless music memorabilia and memories were lost in the fire.

One possession was saved from the fire, however. “I got my baby,” Cowboy Jack said of a Gibson J200 guitar he bought in 1951 while still in the Marines. The guitar was scratched by Elvis Presley’s belt buckle.

Cowboy Jack has been the producer behind such music as Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” as well as sessions with Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Charlie Rich. He developed the careers of Charley Pride and George Jones and stepped outside the country genre to produce three tracks for U2’s Rattle and Hum album and also produced an album for Louis Armstrong. Continue Reading

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Grand Ole Opry member Charley Pride photo courtesy of Absolute Publicity; Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson photo courtesy of Facebook.com/DwayneJohnson.

Dwayne Johnson, also known as “The Rock,” is set to star and produce a biopic about the life of country music star Charley Pride, reports Variety.com. Dany Garcia, Randy Jackson and Charley’s manager, John Daines, will also have producer credit, in association with Sony ATV Music Publishing.

Charley Pride is one of 11 children born to Mississippi sharecroppers. He has charted more than three dozen No. 1 singles, sold more than 70 million records, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. He is also the only black member of the Grand Ole Opry. He is best known for his 1971 song “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’,” which was No. 1 on the country charts and reached No. 21 on the pop charts.

Charley was a baseball player before his music career took off, pitching for teams in the American Negro League and other minor league teams. He also served in the military. In 2008, he and his brother, Mack ‘The Knife’ Pride, were ‘drafted’ by Major League Baseball along with 28 other Negro League players as recognition of their on-field achievements and historical relevance. Charley went to the Texas Rangers. Two years later, he became a special investor and minority owner of the team.

Charley announced Dwayne’s involvement with the film during an interview with the Telegraph-Journal of New Brunswick, Canada last Thursday. Originally, actor Terrence Howard was slated to play Charley, but studio changes delayed and ultimately shelved the Howard film. “Terrence is no doubt a more in-depth actor academically, but Dwayne is such a force on screen,” said Charley. “It startled me a little at first, but he flew down to Dallas and spent a day with me just sitting, talking recently. Continue Reading

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Alan Jackson photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Alan Jackson is set to add another honor to his ever growing collection. He will be inducted into the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Star Trail of Fame on March 18 as he reaches 1 million in attendance at RODEOHOUSTON. He will join superstars Brooks & Dunn, Reba McEntire, Charley Pride and George Strait in the Trail of Fame as well as Gene Autry, Elvis Presley and Roy Rogers. He’ll be only the fifth entertainer history to perform in front of 1 million RODEOHOUSTON fans. Continue Reading

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