GONE DIGITAL Al an Jackson REAL WORLD NEWS The Official Newsletter of the Alan Jackson Platinum Fan Club • FALL 2013 IN THIS ISSUE TheBluegrass HITTIN’ THE ROAD Album is a SNAPSHOTS ountry HITand Bluegrass fans alike keep! putting The Bluegrass Album at the top of the charts. For the fifth week in a row, the album has sat atop AND THE Billboard’s Bluegrass Albums chart. WINNER C The album is generating substantial talk in the music world, with Rolling Stone IS... recognizing that “…The Bluegrass Album is a labor of love, not a vanity project for the singer.” NPR calls Jackson’s performance of the music “…openly emotional…”, while FAN USA Today notes “…it’s the originals that make the set.” The Cleveland Plain Dealer SPOTLIGHT echoes that sentiment, proclaiming “The Jackson-penned songs…go beyond mere lyric and become absolute poetry, almost to the point of a hillbilly Shakespeare,” while American Songwriter calls it “…an album that reaffirms Alan Jackson as one THE INSIDE of our best living traditional songwriters.” And remarks, “You can SCOOP Bluegrass Today feel his passion…his approach to bluegrass is filled with humility.” The Wall Street Journal calls The Bluegrass Album “…one of this year’s strongest country albums TWITTER of any sort…” while the Associated Press notes, “He concentrates on making a CHATTER solid string-band album for the ages – and succeeds.” Billboard says, “He does the genre proud…the highlights are the self-penned originals,” and the Los Angeles Times amplifies that statement, noting “…his own contributions…demonstrate his understanding of themes that are central to bluegrass; the knowledge that life is hard, but the human spirit can rise above.” Tw o m u s i c v i d e o s f r o m the album were released. MERCH “Blue Ridge Mountain Watch the Song” and “Blacktop” “Blue Ridge Mountain Song” can be seen on CMT video and GAC and online via CLICK HERE VEVO. The “Blue Ridge Mountain Song” video IN THE CLUB features Alan’s daughter, Ali, in a storyline that was filmed east of Nashville and in the hills of North Carolina. “Blacktop” showcases a live MUSIC performance by Jackson and the musicians from Watch the the album, captured “Blacktop” at Nashville’s famed video bluegrass venue, The CLICK HERE Station Inn. The release FACEBOOK of the “Blacktop” video prompted USA Today to note, “Country’s dirt road anthems leave your mouth dusty? Jackson paves ‘em over on The TWITTER Bluegrass Album.” Real World News is the official publication of the Alan Jackson Fan Club. TWITTER CHATTER Alan Jackson Fan Club What you’ve been saying about AJ on Twitter. P.O. Box 121945 Follow Alan on twitter@officialjackson Nashville, TN 37212-1945 6615.321.5221 office 615.321.4647 fax [email protected] e-mail www.alanjackson.com Melissa @MissMelissa_MI Cindy Hart, president Sharon Morgan, administrative assistant @OfficialJackson will always be one of my favorite musicians. We reserve the right to refuse or deny privileges to anyone at our sole discretion. ©2013 Alan Jackson Materials may not be reproduced without written permission. Alynne Anderson @Alynne67 @OfficialJackson just listening to Midnight in Montgomery...still gives me goosebumps! Love AND THE #midnight in Montgomery and #hank Williams! WINNER IS… Every quarter we pick 10 fan club members for an Ruby Domanico @pink_ball autographed prize from Alan! If your name is listed @OfficialJackson Alan Jackson’s “The Bluegrass ♥ to below, you’ll need to email us with your name and Album” is amazing!! thank uuuuu xxx address to claim your prize. The Mast Farm Inn @MastFarm @festivalfarm @OfficialJackson The word perfection Diane Andrews comes to mind :-) Tom Purple Lucinda Stine Joshua Surridge @joshsurridge Donna Alexander That @OfficialJackson is one talented cat. I’m Pam Rosebrook sampling his latest album on @siriusxm - a pure Fiona Fagan bluegrass effort - and it is fantastic. Monica Kelly Karen Clark @kaccpamom Amy Voytosh @OfficialJackson @LateShow I was there and saw it Mike Merritt live from the 2nd row. Awesome! Bethany Davidson Story of Lindsey ;) @OverTheTopDream This quarter’s prize is an autographed Oh @OfficialJackson how lovely your voice truly is!! Let It Be Christmas! #BlueRidgeMountainSong is so good!! <3 THE INSIDE SCOOP Happy Fall Y’all! I can’t believe it’s almost November! Wow, this year has flown by! It’s been an exciting year for Alan with two album releases and a big tour in Australia! I know 2014 will be just as exciting! One thing I’m already looking forward to is MERLEFEST! It’s a huge bluegrass festival in Wilkesboro, NC. If you are in the area, it will be a MUST SEE! I hope you are enjoying the new website, especially the Fan Club Only section. We tried to vamp it up a little bit. We hope to add a few more bells and whistles to it next year too. One thing I’m excited about (and nervous), the beginning of 2014, we’ll have a FAN CLUB BLOG! So we can stay in touch with you more often! So be sure to check back for that soon! We’re gearing up for a big holiday season! Be sure to check out all the fun holiday gift packages! Online orders placed before December 19 will be guaranteed to arrive before Christmas, if delivered inside the US. If you are ordering by mail, please make sure you get them mailed in by the first of December. We will make every effort to ensure they arrive before Christmas. The Fan Club office will be closed for the holidays from December 23rd thru January 6th. (We have the nicest boss in the world!) We hope you and your family have a wonderful and safe holiday season! SNAPSHOTS Bonnie Griswold Norma Berriman Kaye H Linda Vale from Louisville, KY show Alan Paul Jackson & wife Norma & Juanita Sue Feigum to see Rise Gluck from Bethlehem, PA more photos show click here FAN SPOTLIGHT Michael Bennett - Carnegie Hall, October 28, 2013 he old joke joke goes, “Do you know how to get to Carnegie Hall? Practice.” There was no practicing necessary for AlanT Jackson who took over the world famous Carnegie Hall in New York City on Monday, October 28, 2013. Leave it to a southern boy from Georgia to come to New York City and turn Carnegie hall into a honkytonk. Not since Buck Owens in 1966 and the Grand Ole Opry in 2006 has Carnegie Hall had boot stomping, cowboy hat wearing, yee hawing happening and the fit was delightful. Alan has again reinvented himself, this time in form of an impressive collection of bluegrass songs from his latest release, aptly titled, The Bluegrass Album. And leave it to Alan to not just play Carnegie hall, but reinvent an entire performance, making it essentially a listener party for the new album, concentrating solely on songs from The Bluegrass Album. That’s right, no “Chattahoochee”, no “Gone Country”, no “5:00 Somewhere”. This was a showcase of Alan in one of his most profound performances. Alan is known for getting onstage and getting right to it, no talking, no running around, just guitar in hand, speaks in such a genuine soft spoken humbleness, you step to the mic, and sing his songs. Monday night was can’t help but feel as if he’s an old friend talking to you pleasantly different. With the introduction of each about his life, adventures, songs, visits. It puts more of song, the crowd was treated to Alan speaking about a shine on a flawless gem, if that were possible. the song, where it came from, and how it came to be Alan took the audience through every single song on the album. Alan always lets his music do the talking on the album, making each song that much more for him, however this made the show so much more unique and appreciated and endeared. Alan included intimate, and was a way to connect with the crowd, two songs in his set not from the album, much to and have them appreciate moreso each song. the delight of the crowd. Lee Ann Womack made a This wasn’t a typical Alan Jackson concert. His surprise appearance midway through the show to join regular band was replaced with the fine musicians he Alan on the Don Williams classic, “Lord, I Hope This put together for this project. From the opening chords Day Is Good”, and they harmonized beautifully. of “Long Hard Road”, as Alan walked to the stage, to Another unexpected surprise, not even on the set the final notes of “Blue Moon of Kentucky”, Alan took us list, was one song from Alan’s catalog that has become on a bluegrass journey, an excursion through his eyes, a connected with New York and was a showstopper, tour through his cd, and for the next 90+ minutes, we “Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning”. were swayed by the sounds, the stories, the life that Alan A standing ovation followed, and took several minutes told through his music. He spoke of his wife Denise, on to return to the Bluegrass collection. “Mary” as Alan spoke how the song came to him, and I’ve seen Alan 34 times over 14 years, and this was one how Denise asked him, “Who’s Mary?” Alan was quick of the most unique, intimate, personal shows I’ve ever to think of and jokingly replied how “Mary” was Jesus’s seen. It has been a journey from where I’ve watched mother’s name so she shouldn’t be upset writing a song Alan go from country to gospel, to collaborations, called Mary.