Takin’ y’all waaaay back in time.
The year is 1985 and Alan Jackson, who apparently went by just “Al” back then, made his first ever Television appearance on the singing competition show most of you have probably never heard of, “You Can Be A Star.”
The show, which awarded the winner a recording contact and $10,000, had many contestants but strangely enough, the 27 year old Alan Jackson wasn’t one of them.
Alan worked for the network and was given the opportunity to perform George Jones‘ hit song, “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” for a live studio audience as the show went into commercial break. Keith Stegall, who was a judge for the competition series, heard Alan sing for the very first time that day and the rest was, well…history. Keith, who co-wrote George Strait’s No. 1 hit, “I Hate Everything,” also went on to write and produce many of Jackson’s songs in the future.
Alan would also go on to perform the same song at George Jones’ funeral 28 years and 26 #1 songs later, something I’d like to call a full circle moment, as sad as that day was for the country music community.
Watch both performances here: