Alan Jackson Says Country Music Hall of Fame Induction Is ‘Last Dream on the List’
On Wednesday (April 5), Alan Jackson was announced as one-third of the Country Music Hall of Fame's Class of 2017. The country icon told The Boot following the Hall of Fame's press conference to reveal the news that he was informed of his upcoming induction under false pretenses: Jackson thought he was going to a meeting with his record label ... and he thought he was going to be receiving some bad news.
"I thought they were going to drop me off the label," Jackson tells The Boot. "Instead, [Country Music Association CEO] Sarah [Trahern] walks in and announces what's going on. It kind of caught me off guard; I didn't know what to say."
Jackson's fellow Country Music Hall of Fame inductees in 2017 are late Jerry Reed and songwriter Don Schlitz. The 58-year-old and his classmates join icons such as Randy Travis, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Alabama and many more as Hall of Fame members.
"That's when it really kind of hit me, when I got the list out," he shares. "I knew a lot of people were in here, but I got the list and started going through all the artists that are in here.
"I saw Glen [Campbell]'s name, too. Just to think about, most of those are heroes of mine," Jackson adds. "You look at all that, and you don't feel like you're worthy to be in here with them. It's crazy to think that your name and your face will be on the wall."
During the Country Music Hall of Fame's Medallion Ceremony, to be held this fall, Jackson, Reed and Schlitz will officially be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The inductees aren't allowed to select which artists pay tribute to them during the event, but Jackson is already considering who he wants to introduce him that night.
"I gotta sit down and kind of look at that, personally," Jackson shares. "Who's going to announce me has to be a member, so I've got to put some thought in that."
No matter who's there, though, Jackson is looking forward to sharing the night with his wife Denise and their three daughters, Mattie, Ali and Dani.
"They've been through so much with me, and seeing me be honored, and everything that's happened over the years," Jackson notes, "but they know what this is -- they know how special this honor is. I think they'll be teared up."
Jackson has sold more than 60 million albums, scored 35 No. 1 singles and already become a member of the Grand Ole Opry and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame; however, becoming a part of the Country Music Hall of Fame is the biggest accomplishment that the Georgia native imagines he will ever achieve.
"This is about the last dream on the list," Jackson says. "It's a mountaintop for a country singer."
The Country Music Hall of Fame Medallion Ceremony will be held on Oct. 22. The event is invitation-only.
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