2002 Tennessean of the Year: Alan Jackson, voice of a nation (9/11 song)

The Tennessean ^ | 12/22/02 | staff

[GailA]

''I'm just a singer of simple songs.

I'm not a real political man.

I watch CNN, but I'm not sure I can tell you the difference in Iraq and Iran.''

We at The Tennessean are paid to do more than know the difference between Iraq and Iran, but we could never more eloquently describe the emotions of a nation than Jackson did in his song Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning), which captured the mood of Sept. 11 and became an anthem for the grief so many people found difficult to put into words.

[GailA]

FYI

[battlegearboat]

"Drive" #1

[ConservativeMan55]

He watches CNN?? LOL!!

[ConservativeMan55]

He probably doesn't watch CNN. CNN was probably the only thing that would rhyme with Iraq and Iran, or political man.

[Sgt_Schultze]

Alan Jackson is the best lyricist in country music (Phil Vasser is a distant second) IMHO. Jackson has always been able to put complicated familiar experiences into fanciful parables ...

Chattahoochee was my teens; Drive describes my childhood with my dad, and now my own children; Jackson said the words to Where Were You came from God - he just held the Pen. Sounds to me like God picked the right messenger.

[PleaseNoMore]

I am not a huge country music fan but I adore Alan Jackson. Besides George Strait, there is no one more humble in the business. He seems to be a man who is sincerely thankful for his fans, his success, and so forth. He has, again seemingly, remained grounded. Watching an interview with him one night, I was really impressed with his down to earth nature and his genuine shyness. I was also impressed with his open discussion about his faith in Jesus.

[Hoosier43fan]

Don't want to take away from a well deserved award, but my $$ was on Sterling Marlin, until that nasty mishap at Kansas.