'Alan Jackson - Small Town Southern Man'
(Alan Jackson, et al / DVD / NR / 2019 / Eagle Vision)
Overview: 'Small Town Southern Man' is the story of country music icon Alan Jackson - a driven artist who has played an essential role in bridging the old and new worlds of country music by blending mainstream country and traditional honky-tonk, which irreversibly jolted country music into the modern era.
The program travels the entire journey of Jackson's life, from his boyhood in Newnan, GA to Nashville and his first career successes.
DVD Verdict: This quite wonderful new documentary, 'Small Town Southern Man', which premiered on AXS TV in October 2018, not only showcases the Country Music Hall of Fame member Alan Jackson, but even goes as far as revealing things about the legend that perhaps we didn't even know.
This feature-length documentary running at close to 90 minutes chronicles Jackson's life from his upbringing in Georgia in the '50s and ’60s to his Hall of Fame induction in 2017.
For those not in the know, Jackson has sold over 80 million records, with 66 titles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Of the 66 titles, and six featured singles, 38 have reached the top five and 35 have claimed the number one spot.
Out of 15 titles to reach the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, nine have been certified multi-platinum. He is the recipient of two Grammy Awards, 16 CMA Awards, 17 ACM Awards and nominee of multiple other awards.
Jackson is also a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2001. His aforementioned induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017 was by his dear friend Loretta Lynn (and he also, although not featured here, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018).
This story of a true music icon is primarily narrated by Jackson himself and includes interviews with family members, musical colleagues and country stars, including Carrie Underwood, Alison Krauss, Lee Ann Womack and more.
Featuring heavily the single that the film is named after,'Small Town Southern Man' was a song written and recorded by Jackson and released in November 2007 as the lead single from his album Good Time.
The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in March 2008, becoming Jackson's twenty-third Number One hit on that chart; as well as his first since "Remember When" in February 2004.
Positive comments free flow here on this hour and a half long DVD for the man from all musicians captured on camera, with comments ranging from "When Alan walks into a room he's a star and you can almost feel that" to Carrie Underwood's glowing "Every generation of country music looks at the generation they grew up listening to as just the best of all time and my generation does the same and it's Alan."
Even Jackson himself pays heed to his own legacy and the wave he himself rode in on, by admitting "There were not any new artists in the late '80s that were carrying on what I would call real country music … and it's been a tough business, but I've been very blessed and glad to still be there with them."
Written, produced and directed by John Albarian, the film showcases the inspirations that led Jackson to write hits such as 'Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,' 'Chattahoochee,' 'Here in the Real World,' 'Livin’ on Love,' and 'Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).'
This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.
www.AlanJackson.com
www.Eagle-Rock.com