Alan Jackson performs in Nashville.
(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)With 35 No. 1 hits and more than 60 million albums sold, country music superstar Alan Jackson will be singing to a crowd of devoted fans tonight at Riverbend.
Not only is he one of the best country music singers around, he's also a very nice guy, his fans say.
"When Fan Fair first started in Nashville, my parents went every year," said Jackson fan Cindy Byers Bishop of Ringgold, Ga. "The first year my mom met Alan Jackson, she said she almost fainted because he was not only handsome but took the time to talk to each individual that came by his booth."
Jackson's devotion to his family and the fact that he's personable is meaningful to his fans, said Ann McNemer Barr of Chattanooga.
"He has a wonderful wife and children," she said.
According to the artist's website, Jackson is one of only a handful of performers who have been around for two decades and who still regularly top the country chart. The 16-time Country Music Association award winner recently had a No. 1 hit with the Zac Brown Band for "As She's Walking Away." Jackson writes most of his songs.
"I love Alan Jackson," said Nanette Hawkins of Fort Oglethorpe. "He started out working at Walmart, went to Nashville and kept on until he made it. And did he make it big. I love his writing."
Marie Bogart of Chattanooga said she saw Jackson perform live several years ago.
"He seems to be a very laid-back, down-to-earth kind of guy," she said, adding that "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere," a duet with Jimmy Buffett, is one of her favorites. "But there are many."
Jackson's hits include "Chattahoochee," "Little Bitty," "Where I Come From," "Small Town Southern Man," "Chasin' That Neon Rainbow," and "Don't Rock the Jukebox."
ONSTAGE TONIGHT
Coke Stage
9:30 p.m. Alan Jackson
Bud Light Stage
5 p.m. Stop-N-Stare Band
6:15 p.m. Spiritual Rez
7:45 p.m. JJ Grey & Mofro
Tennessee Lottery Stage
6 p.m. Robby Hopkins Band
7:30 p.m. Convertibull
11 p.m. Soul Survivor
Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union STAGE
6:15 p.m. IckyBod Crankin
7:45 p.m. Stratospheerius
9:15 p.m. Dirty Guv'nahs
Unum Stage
6 p.m. Jackson Highway
7:15 p.m. Bob Dorough & Friends
9:30 p.m. The Beaters