Receiving duplicate newsletters?
Please help us control waste — just mail or
fax us all the back covers of your duplicate
newsletters. Thanks for you help.
On this page above your name
you will find your membership
number & expiration date.
If your membership has expired
please send in your renewal
request right away to avoid
being deleted from our database.
Please call the fan club office if
you have any questions,
(615) 321-5219.
is it renewal time?
P.O. Box 121945
Nashville, TN 37212-1945
real world news
alanjackson
Nashville, TN
Permit 768
PAID
PRSRT STD
US Postage
alanjackson
winter ‘11
the official newsletter of the Alan Jackson Platinum Fan Club
real world news
topnews
winter 2011
Issue 84
Alan Jackson Fan Club
P.O. Box 121945
congratulations
AJ & Zac Brown Band
The recent #1 smash “As She’s Walking Away” garnered a GRAMMY
nomination for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for Zac Brown Band
and Alan.
Tune in February 13, 2011 for the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards on CBS.
Nashville, TN 37212-1945
(615) 321-5219 office
(615) 321-5221 merchandise
(615) 321-2112 fax
ajfc@alanjackson.com e-mail
www.alanjackson.com
Real World News
is the official publication of the
Alan Jackson Fan Club.
Newsletters are mailed out in
February, May, August and
November.
Platinum Fan Club Membership
includes:
Real World News Newsletter
Merchandise Discounts
Alan’s Biography and Fact Sheet
8x10 Exclusive Color Photo
Official Membership Card
superstar’s chart-topping hit
used in new ad for
GE’s ecomagination
Beginning in February, TV viewers nationwide are in for a “Good Time” as
country superstar Alan Jackson’s hit song, “Good Time,” is featured in a new
ad for GE and its ecomagination technology initiative.
In the TV ad, people of various professions —from factory assembly personnel
to airline pilots and flight crews—are seen participating in a massive “around
the world” line dance which begins as “Good Time” is heard on a radio.
Check out the commercial on the homepage of Alan’s site.
alan jackson leaves longtime label
Alan Jackson recently announced that he’s left his longtime record label,
Arista/Nashville, but he’s already looking ahead to the future!
“I’ve had a great run with Arista, going all the way back to the beginning of
my career,” Alan says. “I’ve gotten to work with some real great people along
the way and we accomplished a lot. It just seems to me like the time may be
right to change things up a bit and see what comes next.”
He’s gearing up for the first leg of his 2011 tour with sold-out shows in Canada
followed by his highly-anticipated first tour of Australia. He is currently
writing and working on songs for his upcoming new album—stay tuned!
2
Preferred Concert Seating
(subject to availability)
annual dues:
$20 USA
$25 Canada
$30 International
Please check your address label
for your expiration date. We do
not send out renewal reminders.
You will have a three month grace
period in which to renew your
membership.
When writing to Alan
or theFan Club,
please remember to include a
Self-Address Stamped Envelope
(SASE) for a quick response.
Cindy Hart
p resi d en t
Abby Busick
a d m i n i st r a t i ve a ssi st a n t
We reserve the right
to refuse or deny
privileges to anyone
at our sole discretion.
©2011 Alan Jackson
Materials may not be reproduced without
written permission.
3
alan jackson
surprises zac brown
34 hidden number ones
presents Brown with a vintage Cadillac
and joins the band onstage in Nashville
a
lan surprised Zac Brown at the band’s
December 29th concert in Nashville by
presenting him with a vintage Cadillac. Alan—who
recently topped the charts with the Zac Brown
Band on the hit, “As She’s Walking Away”—also
joined the group onstage during their sold-out
show at Music City’s Bridgestone Arena for
an unexpected performance of the Grammynominated song. Alan arranged for the 1966
Cadillac El Dorado convertible to be brought into
the backstage area of the arena and surprised Zac
with the gift prior to the show. “I think Zac is one
of the coolest new talents to come along and he’s
a Georgia boy like me,” Alan says. “It was an honor
to be on his record.” Zac was obviously thrilled
with the gift, saying, “I will pay it forward. What
an amazing night, amazing friend, amazing car...
and if I want to pull a Hank Sr., I now have the ride
to do it in.”
4
Get your 34 Number Ones CD out!! Hidden above are ALL 34 Number One songs featured on Alan’s
newest CD 34 Number Ones
Five lucky winners will be drawn from all correct entries to receive a $10.00 Gift Certificate to the Alan
Jackson Online Store! Please have entry postmarked by March 31, 2011.
Name ___________________________________________________________________________________________
Mailing address ___________________________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip _______________________________________________________________________________________
Phone # ________________________________________
Membership # _________________________________
Email Address ___________________________________________________________________________________
Only 1 entry per person. The winners will be announced in the Spring 2011 newsletter. Email address
is required as winners coupons will be sent via email.
5
1 “Had to share a
‘sighting’ with you!
I received the Alan
cardboard statue for my
50th birthday and it has
traveled around with me
several times for ‘photo
ops’! We belong to a gym
in Winchester, VA and
Tim McGraw recently
visited there while
filming in the area. Well,
I wasn’t about to let Tim
get all the publicity so
I took my Alan statue
and placed him right
in front of the gym and
took his picture and
put it on facebook! The
caption: ‘Tim McGraw
ain’t got nothin on me.
Enjoy your workout!’ My
friends loved it!!! Love,
love, love Alan in W.
Va.!!!” Brenda Smoot
snapshots
Thanks
4 “Just wanted you to
know the concert in
Orange Beach, AL was
awesome. I enjoyed
getting to know other
fan club members and
the seats were perfect.
Thought you might like
to see a few pictures
from the
6
g r e at
photographs!
concert. Thanks again
for the tickets!” Barbara
Christian
3
1
6
2 Tammy Taylor
and kids (John and
Katherine) made the
3.5 hour drive from San
Diego to LA to see Alan
in November. They had
a fabulous time, singing
along to all of his songs.
3 Kathy Burgess
dressed up as AJ last
Halloween. “I had a
party at my house,
complete with Elvis
and karaoke. I won
best song of the night
for ‘Good Time’ and by
the way, we all had a G
with an O, O with a D,
T with an I and a M and
a E... A Good Time!”
for all the
Remember, anytime we use one of your photos in a newsletter, we will send
you a $10 gift certificate toward official AJ merchandise. If you’d like your
photo returned, please include a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope.
2
4
7
8
5
5 New York fan Barb
Belanga found out her
daughter-in-law was
going to Hollywood with
some friends, so she ask
her to take a picture of
Alan’s Star. Since Barb
couldn’t get her picture
with the star, Stephanie
was happy to bring back
this souvenir
6 Another Star photo
on a less busy day in
Hollywood, Janis Grogan
from Washington sent
this one.
7 To celebrate her
birthday Marcia and
Rich Anderson headed
to the Great Jones
County Fair last July.
Even though it started
“pouring buckets” after
Alan went on stage,
Marcia said everybody
“stood their ground
and stayed for the
duration of the show.”
Unfortunately the day
after the show, a near by
dam broke and flooded
the area. We pray the
folks in that area are
back on their feet and
rebuilding!
8 Tina Hinners’ ALAN
room! “A perfect memory
place of happiness over
the past 20 years! I will
always be a fan!”
7
meet & greet photos
Are you a friend of Alan’s on FACEBOOK?
If not go to facebook.com/OfficialAlanJackson and click on LIKE.
We’re trying to reach One Million Friends!
For every goal, we'll randomly give away prizes & announce the next!
And believe us, the prizes get bigger each time!!
150,000 - 50 Signed Photos (Achieved!)
250,000 - 10 Autographed CD's (Achieved!)
500,000 - 5 Pairs of Concert Tickets
Tell all your friends to LIKE Alan too, so we can give away some concert tickets!
You can also
follow Alan on
TWITTER!
You can receive short timely messages from Alan
straight to your cell phone!
So don’t miss the latest updates when you are
away from your computer!
Follow Alan
@Twitter.com/OfficialAlanJackson
8
9
Excerpts from
a CMT Interview
superstar reflects
on his career,
including his new
34 Number Ones
compilation
f
written by Calvin Gilbert
ew artists in any musical genre ever achieve the level of sustained success Alan Jackson has enjoyed
over the past two decades. That success continues with the release of a two-CD compilation,
34 Number Ones, and a Grammy nomination for “As She’s Walking Away,” his hit collaboration
with the Zac Brown Band.
During a recent interview at CMT’s offices in Nashville, the Georgia native reflected on his
career, including his pre-stardom days spent working in the mailroom at CMT’s former sister network,
TNN: The Nashville Network. He also talked about how a leisurely afternoon with his wife, Denise, once
prompted him to listen to all of his albums again.
Tim DuBois started Arista Nashville from scratch. Did you know him?
What was it about him that made you trust him?
I didn’t know him at all. After I learned about the label starting, they were coming to a showcase
or something. I was doing a showcase for some labels. That was the first time I’d really known who
he was. I guess initially what impressed me about Tim was that I liked him because he wasn’t just a
businessman. He was a songwriter. He wrote the Restless Heart song [“Bluest Eyes in Texas”], and Jerry
Reed had a big hit with “She Got the Goldmine.” I felt like he had a music ear as well as a business sense
to him. And that’s what he was, and I respected that, and he was just a nice fellow.
For anybody who comes to work in Nashville, it’s a big deal the first time you see
some of the stars. It’s still a magical thing.
I’ll never forget, when I worked there at TNN, they had that awards show or something. That was
the CMAs, I guess, on that compound at the time out at the Opry House. And I got to go on Hank
Jr.’s bus to deliver some contracts or papers or something to him. When he came walking out of
the back of that bus, man, he looked like he was 30-feet tall! (laughs) I was just a huge fan, and I’ll
never forget that.
One song that didn’t exactly qualify for 34 Number Ones was “Blue Blooded Woman.”
How much of a disappointment was it in 1989 when your first single
only peaked in the 40s on the chart? Or were you happy just because it charted?
(laughs) Aw, I was heartbroken! I mean, I’d seen too many acts come along that had one or two singles
that didn’t make it, and then they’re gone. So I knew you didn’t have many shots. And even worse, after
that thing died, my wife came home and said she was pregnant with our first child. We weren’t really
planning that, and I thought, “Oh, man. My song died and my wife’s pregnant. I’m gonna have to get a
job and end this career.” And then “Here in the Real World” came along.
You mentioned that you had some offers from other labels before you signed to Arista?
How close were you to signing any of those?
We had some kind of crazy deal. This guy...came up with this plan where he was going to sign 10 new
acts at the same time and put them all on one album. They’d all have one single, and whichever one hit
... We actually had that offer, and I almost did it. I think I finally got some attorney that I didn’t know
to help me with it. He said, “I’d pass on it.” He talked me into passing on it because he just felt like I
wouldn’t get a really true shot there.
When did you record your version of “Ring of Fire” that’s on the new compilation?
We cut part of that thing years ago, and it’s been sitting in the can. We went in and redid it. We used some of
it, I think. I resang it and did some other stuff with it. I’d always loved that cut. We just never did anything
with it. Gary Overton, who’s running the label now, he’s an old friend who used to manage me. He wanted
to put it on there. I’d forgotten about the thing. I went back and listened to it, and got Keith [Stegall], my
producer, and I agreed with him. I thought it was a pretty cool cut. I’d never gotten to do a Johnny Cash
song, and I’ve covered a bunch of stuff. I always really felt like it was something I wanted to do.
10
11
fanreview
yo l a n d a h ar dy
Evansville, IN
March 30, 2010
WOW!! I took a ride on the Freight Train and lived the ultimate in fan experience on 3/30/10.
Rollback:
1) AJ coming back to Evansville, IN—FINALLY!
2) I got tickets in pre-sale—Sooo excited!
3) Found out through the fan club tickets are 2nd row!—OMG
4) Scared my cat to death, got an email that I won meet & greet pass—OMG/
OMG—I called everyone I knew and ran through the house like a crazy woman.
5) OK. Night of show. Took daughter, son and two grandsons (age 12 & 13) along
with my camera—of course—and wearing my T-shirt of Alan that my daughter
had air brushed for me from a picture of AJ’s 2005 calendar (one of a kind).
6) Chris Young and Josh Turner got the train rolling with some awesome opening
tunes. Josh could have filled the stadium with that big bass voice of his but I
missed part of his performance to go backstage to meet the “conductor” of this
train.
7) Heart pounding, going to meet AJ! How much better can this get—but it
does!
8) I was first in line. Picture this: freight train backdrop, AJ music playing and
then—WOW—Alan Jackson! He is tall! He reached out his hand and said, “Hi, like your shirt.” Well of course
he did, it was HIM! I was kinda disappointed that I couldn’t get it autographed but I got over it real quick
when he came out from behind that curtain. As my meet & greet pictures shows I was beaming from ear-toear. This was so unreal and the concert hadn’t even started yet.
9) So, picture taken with Alan, my autographed picture of him in hand, I followed the group back to my seat
for the concert. My family was all waiting for me asking what did you say, what
did he have on, how was it? I couldn’t even remember. My heart still pounding—
WOW/OMG!!
10) Took my seat and can’t wait for concert to start like everyone else yelling
“AJ, AJ, AJ.” And, lo and behold, the Freight Train has “Gone Country.” Out he
came in his torn jeans and cowboy hat looking better than ever. I managed to
mingle up to the stage with those “itty bitty” girls in the front row and danced
the night away to one favorite song after another. What a show, what a night…
BUT WAIT…
11) After the best two hours of my like, he came back out for his encore of
“Where I Come From” and with my heart still pounding he took my T-shirt and
marker and AUTOGRAPHED IT FOR ME! He graciously signed autographs for
lots of anxious fans and my daughter even got a picture of him signing my shirt
on stage for me.
12) OK, my night is over now but it couldn’t have been any better than this. AJ you are an Evansville Walk
of Fame Star in my book and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. All I can say is keep on rolling that
Freight Train cause “It’s Five O’clock Somewhere”!!
Remember to send your concert reviews into the Fan Club for a chance to win tickets to the next AJ show in your area. See
your membership packet for complete details.
12
meet & greetwinners
JJ Sasaki
Melissa Turner
Hope Carpenter
Cynthia Torres
Marty Hansen
Kathy Richards
Alaine Balsamo
Janice Leese
Michelle Bounds
Kathy Haw
Gordon Avery
Stacy Swan
Clydene Farris
Freddie Baumgartner
Keri Wood
Natasha Robin Weeks
Whitney Torres
Paula Daigle
Marilyn Bridges
Kacey Smith
Mandy Myers
Nancy Fulenwider
Rosedale Yannayon
Wanda Bailey
Angela Partin
Cathy Taylor
Louisa Hassenfelt
Wendy Motsinger
Rick Kisling
Gina Galvin
David Moyers
Charlene Gabbard
front rowwinners
Victoria Landis
Patricia Toomey
Cecilia Navarro
Jennifer Ellis
Bradford Palmer
Kari Kuttler
Brian Ring
Megan Clopton
Triscia Touchet
Michelle Kittok
Bobbie Barton
Cobey Michael
Crystal Robertson
Kristina Van Geyten
Amy Noe
Kristy Cook
autographed itemwinners
Randy Hopson, Colorado
Twyla Martin, Missouri
Toni Hopper, Oregon
Jennie Stringer, Kentucky
Thea Wiley, Texas
Valarie Boultinghouse, California
Rebecca Price, North Carolina
Judith & William Halstead, Maryland
Chris Shellhammer, California
Rosemary Deangelis, Connecticut
13
heyy’all
a note from the fan club
date
tourschedule
city, state / venueticket info
march
3/4Melborne, AUSTRALIA / Rod Laver Arena
SOLD OUT
3/6
Hunter Valley, NSW, AUSTRALIA / CMC Rocks
the Aussie fans to finally see ALAN! I know a lot of you have ventured over to the States to see AJ. But
3/7
Sydney, AUSTRALIA / Acer Arena
SOLD OUT
the majority of you have never seen him live, after supporting his music over the past two decades.
3/10
Brisbane, AUSTRALIA / Brisbane Entertainment Centre
SOLD OUT
3/11
Brisbane, AUSTRALIA / Brisbane Entertainment Centre
SOLD OUT
3/12
Brisbane, AUSTRALIA / Brisbane Entertainment Centre
SOLD OUT
For those of you who have not utilized our fan club area on the website, be sure to check it out! If
3/18
Houston, TX / Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo
ON SALE NOW
you were a member prior to August 2009, the FIRST TIME you sign in, you’ll need to create your own
3/29
Calgary, AB, Canada / Scotiabank Saddledome
ON SALE NOW
We are starting 2011 off with a BANG! Alan’s taking his first trip to AUSTRALIA! I’m so excited for all
What a treat you are all in for! Be sure to check out Alan’s website for updates on his Australian tour
ON SALE NOW
while he’s gone. We’ll be posting pictures and videos from the March tour.
Username and Password by simply signing in with your current membership number (leave off PL-).
Then you’ll use it every time you log in. And if you’ve joined by mail since August 2009, your Username
is your Last Name PLUS the first two initials of your First Name. (Type in ALLCAPS/NOSPACES.)
3/30Edmonton, AB, Canada / Rexall Place
ON SALE NOW
3/31
Dawson Creek, BC, Canada / EnCana Event Centre
ON SALE NOW
Grand Junction, CO / Country Jam
ON SALE NOW
There’s lots of good stuff on there including signing up for MEET AND GREET Passes and FREE
FRONT ROW TICKETS!
june
I hope you enjoy the Word Search Puzzle Abby created. I tried to do it and it’s kind of hard! But it was
6/25
fun especially if you put on the CD and listen while you search! Be sure to send your entry in, you could
win an online store gift certificate!
We’ve got some big changes in store for us this year. I think they’ll be ALL GOOD. The powers that be
august
8/10Eskilstuna, Sweden / Vilsta
ON SALE NOW
year. We are all excited about the new possibilities of the future! And we’ll be working towards Alan’s
8/12
Skien, Norway / Stevneplassen
ON SALE NOW
next 34 Number ones!
8/13
Stavanger, Norway / Forus Travbane
ON SALE NOW
are working on finding Alan a new label “home.” Hopefully we’ll have some new music by the end of the
For the most current tour schedule, log onto www.alanjackson.com and click on TOUR
* * S P E C I A L S E AT I N G F O R P L AT I N U M FA N C L U B MEM B E R S AVA I L A B L E .
Please check your local listings as all dates and times are subject to change. For updates on Alan’s tour schedule,
check out Alan’s website at www.alanjackson.com or send in a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope to the Fan Club.
Shows are usually confirmed and announced about 4-6 prior to the actual date of the show so check back often.
14
15