Alan Jackson Opens Up About Family Tragedies and Six-Year Hiatus: “It Just About Made Me Tear Up”
Alan Jackson, one of country music’s most beloved icons, is back with new music after a six-year hiatus, a period marked by personal tragedy and emotional recovery. The 16-time CMA Award winner and 17-time ACM Award recipient recently sat down with Yahoo Entertainment to reflect on the difficult years that led him to put his career on hold and how making music again has brought him joy.
In 2017, Jackson experienced the heartbreaking loss of his mother, Ruth Musick Jackson. The following year, tragedy struck again when his son-in-law, Ben Selecman, passed away at just 28 years old after a boating accident. These devastating events left Jackson at a crossroads both personally and professionally.
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“It took a couple of years to get through all that,” Jackson admits. “I just didn’t feel like writing. When you’re the daddy and you kind of feel like you’re the head man, and you’ve got your wife and your daughters, you really hurt more for them going through it. It just took a long time for me to feel good again, to feel like I actually wanted to sit down and try to write something.”
For Jackson, tragedy had often been a muse for his most powerful songs, such as the post-9/11 ballad “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” and “When I Saw You Leaving (For Nisey),” written for his wife Denise during her cancer diagnosis. However, after these consecutive losses, Jackson’s ability to create was stifled, leading to a prolonged break from the studio.
Now, after years of healing, Jackson returns with Where Have You Gone, his first album in six years. The album’s poignant tracks, including “Where Her Heart Has Always Been” — featuring a recording of his mother reading from the Bible — and “You’ll Always Be My Baby,” written for his daughter Mattie’s wedding, reflect the depth of his personal journey. But the album also features upbeat anthems like “Beer:10” and “Livin’ on Empty,” showcasing Jackson’s trademark blend of classic country instrumentation.
The album’s title, Jackson explains, is not a reference to his personal losses, but a reflection on a “lost love” for the golden era of country music, which he believes is slipping away. As he moves forward, Jackson shares his concern for the future of country music, particularly the genre’s shift away from its traditional roots.
For now, Jackson is finding solace in music again, a process that has “just about made me tear up,” he says. The healing power of songwriting has brought Jackson back to his fans and his passion for music — something he thought might never be possible again.