Alan Jackson’s career on the road is winding down with just one more scheduled show left on his farewell tour before retirement.
That is set to take place on May 17 in Milwaukee.
But on Thursday the ACM Awards didn’t let the legendary singer ride off into the sunset without being recognized for his contribution to country music. Jackson was honored with the lifetime achievement award during the show.
The award’s name? The Alan Jackson Lifetime Achievement Award.
Reba McEntire gave Jackson the trophy after he sang “Remember When.”
“A few years ago one of my fans named their dog after me, and I thought that was something , but this is really amazing,” Jackson joked.
Jackson then got emotional, thanking God and his family.
“I do wanna especially thank one person that’s been my best friend since I was 17-years-old, and that’s my wife Denise out there,” Jackson said. “She’s loved me through the good and the bad, the happy and the sad, influenced me, given me three beautiful daughters and helped me keep my feet on the ground all these years.
“I wouldn’t be here if not for her,” he said.
The 66-year-old revealed his reasons for deciding to retire last year, and a big part of the decision was family.
“I’ve been touring for over 30 years, you know, played everywhere in the country and parts of the world,” Jackson said. “Have had a wonderful career, and getting into my twilight years, and all my daughters are grown, and I got one grandchild and one on the way. Enjoy spending more time at home, and don’t want to be away like I had to be in my younger days, and I don’t tour as much now as I did 10 years ago. But I think it’s getting time to start thinking about hanging it up full-time.”
That’s not the only reason for ramping the career down, though. The singer has been dealing with a rare genetic condition called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. It is a chronic neuropathy condition that affects a person’s balance and ability to walk, and it apparently runs in his family. He cited that, too, while explaining why he was retiring this year
“Most of my fans know I have a degenerative health condition that affects my legs and arms and my mobility that I got from my daddy and it’s getting worse,” he said. “So, it makes me more uncomfortable on stage, and I just have a hard time, and I just want to think about maybe calling it quits before I’m unable to do the job like I want to.”
So, if it looks like the singer is moving a bit slower, it is because he is. But he has been battling the issue for some time and did more than he had to in giving fans a final opportunity to see him live.
Alan Jackson’s career on the road is winding down with just one more scheduled show left on his farewell tour before retirement.
That is set to take place on May 17 in Milwaukee.
But on Thursday the ACM Awards didn’t let the legendary singer ride off into the sunset without being recognized for his contribution to country music. Jackson was honored with the lifetime achievement award during the show.
The award’s name? The Alan Jackson Lifetime Achievement Award.
Reba McEntire gave Jackson the trophy after he sang “Remember When.”
“A few years ago one of my fans named their dog after me, and I thought that was something , but this is really amazing,” Jackson joked.
Jackson then got emotional, thanking God and his family.
“I do wanna especially thank one person that’s been my best friend since I was 17-years-old, and that’s my wife Denise out there,” Jackson said. “She’s loved me through the good and the bad, the happy and the sad, influenced me, given me three beautiful daughters and helped me keep my feet on the ground all these years.
“I wouldn’t be here if not for her,” he said.
The 66-year-old revealed his reasons for deciding to retire last year, and a big part of the decision was family.
“I’ve been touring for over 30 years, you know, played everywhere in the country and parts of the world,” Jackson said. “Have had a wonderful career, and getting into my twilight years, and all my daughters are grown, and I got one grandchild and one on the way. Enjoy spending more time at home, and don’t want to be away like I had to be in my younger days, and I don’t tour as much now as I did 10 years ago. But I think it’s getting time to start thinking about hanging it up full-time.”
That’s not the only reason for ramping the career down, though. The singer has been dealing with a rare genetic condition called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. It is a chronic neuropathy condition that affects a person’s balance and ability to walk, and it apparently runs in his family. He cited that, too, while explaining why he was retiring this year
“Most of my fans know I have a degenerative health condition that affects my legs and arms and my mobility that I got from my daddy and it’s getting worse,” he said. “So, it makes me more uncomfortable on stage, and I just have a hard time, and I just want to think about maybe calling it quits before I’m unable to do the job like I want to.”
So, if it looks like the singer is moving a bit slower, it is because he is. But he has been battling the issue for some time and did more than he had to in giving fans a final opportunity to see him live.
