Mattie Denise Jackson, the eldest daughter of country music legend Alan Jackson, is proving that legacies aren’t just inherited — they’re created. While born into a family steeped in music, faith, and Southern tradition, Mattie has taken her own path, transforming personal tragedy into purpose and a lifelong love of storytelling into a mission of hope.
Mattie’s life took a heartbreaking turn in 2018, when she lost her husband, Ben Selecman, just weeks before their first wedding anniversary. Ben, a rising assistant district attorney, died after sustaining a head injury while helping a woman onto a boat dock in Florida. The freak accident left Mattie a widow at 28, catapulting her into grief with a force no young bride anticipates.
“We were still in the honeymoon phase,” she later shared. “I had no idea how to process anything — I just knew I had to keep going.”
From that unimaginable loss, Mattie discovered a calling. She began to write — not for fame or catharsis alone, but to reach others who were also navigating sorrow, faith, and unanswered questions. Her memoir, Lemons on Friday, published in 2021, is a moving reflection on grief, love, and God’s quiet presence in the deepest valleys. Readers found comfort not in easy answers, but in Mattie’s raw honesty — her willingness to say, “I don’t understand, but I still believe.”
Mattie’s gift for language wasn’t born in tragedy. She studied Creative Writing at the University of Tennessee, long before loss made her a voice of resilience. Her father once gave her advice that stuck:
“Go live life — then you’ll have something worth writing about.”
So she did. After college, Mattie stepped away from writing and into the world of hospitality, becoming a certified sommelier and opening a Nashville wine bar called Salt & Vine. The business was both an artistic and entrepreneurial endeavor, and while it eventually closed, it became a defining chapter in her growth — giving her a first-hand understanding of community, leadership, and the beautifully complex lives people lead.
Today, Mattie continues to write, speak, and share — not just as an author, but as a podcast host, businesswoman, and advocate for faith-driven living. Her show, She’s in the City, showcases honest conversations with women from all walks of life — covering topics from career to spiritual formation to vulnerability. She is also a co-author of a faith-based cookbook, and she is currently working on her first novel, a new creative venture that promises to further broaden her literary footprint.
And yet, she doesn’t shy away from joy. In a December 2022 appearance on Fox News, Mattie charmed audiences with a cheerful holiday cocktail demonstration — a moment that reflected her growing comfort in the public eye as someone who can speak not only from pain, but also from peace and presence.