Alan Jackson had family on his mind during Sunday night’s award show as he performed two songs from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium that honored family members from his late father, Eugene to his three daughters Mattie, Alexandra and Dani.
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The performance was a return to the spotlight for Jackson after he took some time off to be with family as they mourned the loss of his mother, Mama Ruth in 2017 and his daughter’s husband, Ben in 2018.
The ACM stage is practically home for Jackson as an 18-time ACM award winner. He also has 16 CMA Awards, two GRAMMYs and is a valued member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
To kick off his performance, Jackson sang “Drive (For Daddy Gene),” a hit song for him from nearly 20 years ago that shares memories about his late father teaching him how to drive. After taking viewers on a trip down memory lane, Jackson debuted new music from his upcoming album, Where Have You Gone with the song “You’ll Always Be My Baby,” which he wrote for his daughters’ weddings. Throughout the performance, photos of Jackson with his daughters and wife, Denise rolled across the screens behind him, making it an extra special tribute.
Jackson’s 16th studio album is set to release May 14 and will feature 21 tracks. It is his first new album in six years. The title track, in addition to “Things That Matter,” “Way Down In My Whiskey” and “You’ll Always Be My Baby,” are available now.
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