Alan Jackson's acceptance of the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award during Wednesday night's (Nov. 9) CMA Awards broadcast served as a good enough excuse for a star-studded musical celebration of a '90s country icon.
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Before belting out Jackson's 2003 ballad "Remember When," Carrie Underwood explained the legend's role in sparking her interest in live music and her development as a country singer.
"The very first concert I ever went to was an Alan Jackson concert," Underwood shared. "Seeing him perform helped inspire me to pursue my dreams. It's been said that country music is three chords and the truth. And in every one of Alan Jackson songs, there is truth, for his powerful voice speaks to us about hope and heartache, about fun and friendship, about tragedy and triumph. About life, and a little about love. Alan, you have friends in every corner of this great country, and a special few of them are here tonight to honor you."
A power trio of country traditionalists then took center stage, with Dierks Bentley singing lead on 1992's "Chattahoochee," John Pardi tackling 2002's "Drive (For Daddy Gene)" and Lainey Wilson closing things out with 1990's "Chasin' That Neon Rainbow."
In an even better twist, Jackson himself performed another seminal hit, 1991's "Don't Rock the Jukebox." It surely helped inspire Luke Combs' take that this year's broadcast "sounded more country" than it had in recent years.
During an emotional speech, Jackson proclaimed that he's still living that honk-tonk -- and American -- dream. In a lighter-hearted moment, the Country Music Hall of Famer referred to his early struggles in Nashville as "three chords and a prayer."
Jackson became just the eighth winner of the CMA's Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. It as previously won by Nelson (2012), Kenny Rogers (2013), Johnny Cash (2015), Dolly Parton (2016), Kris Kristofferson (2019), Charley Pride (2020) and Loretta Lynn (2021).
