Alan Jackson, “Small Town Southern Man”

How lucky a parent is to give life to a country music legend. To have your life story told by a master storyteller, to be immortalized on record by someone who can take your everyday life and convey the beauty of you just doing what you did for your family. Loretta Lynn did it with “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” Vince Gill with “The Key to Life.” Dolly Parton with “Coat of Many Colors.” Even Reba did it, with the little-noticed but worth seeking out “Daddy.”

To say that Alan Jackson has honored his father with “Small Town Southern Man” would only capture some of what he achieves with this record. In a larger sense, he has honored all fathers who loved only one woman, worked until their backs were broken and who truly believed that their greatest contributions are the children they’ve left behind. A deserving tribute to fathers who put family before everything else, and a comfort to the sons and daughters that miss them once they’re gone.

Grade: A

Listen: Small Town Southern Man

Buy:  Small Town Southern Man

46 Comments

  1. It’s really exciting to hear Alan get back to what he does best. Hopefully, his gospel and moody pop CDs (though I did enjoy his simple gospel CD) helped him get a little of the musical mid-life crisis out of his system for awhile. I guess I just like his McDonalds variety of country music.:)

  2. Simple, yet powerful. This is the Alan Jackson music I’ve grown up with and love. The music he had from like Red On A Rose was actually very annoying to me. This song however I can’t get enough of.

  3. Alan Jackson cannot sing or write a bad song. This terrific artist will definitely go down in history as one of the greatest country music stars of all time. He will forever be my number one – without a doubt. Love you, AJ.

  4. Great song! I love hearing this kind of singing from Alan! Did you see him on the CMT Giants honoring Hank, Jr??? He was the highlight of the show for me!!

  5. Great song! I love hearing this kind of singing from Alan! Did you see him on the CMT Giants honoring Hank, Jr??? He was the highlight of the show for me!!

  6. How lucky we are to have Alan Jackson for country music!
    His “small town southern man” is a wonderful contribution to the music i love , and it is now in my life-long favourite song lists.
    thank u very much, Mr Alan Jackson, for ur lovely song.
    hope u’ll make another beautiful songs like this one.

    k.Hpyo Tha
    Burma (myanmar)

  7. No one can compete with this artist, he is so very cool! and so smooth!, all I can say this man must be as strait as an arrow,because he does nothing but soar, the best! ,the best!, the best!,

    I want this song!

    Please come to, Wolville or better still Kentville , NOVA SCOTIA, I would so like to meet this artists.

    JR.
    WE will get your tickent sold here in small Town nova scotia, PLEASZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ………………………………………………..!

  8. In FRANCE too we like country music and for my life and me Alan JACKSON is certainly the best country singer actually with a dream music. We are really fans and we’d like to see him in Europe. Why not…?

  9. This could be the highlight of Mr. Jackson’s carreer. I have loved his music throughout the years, but this one is something else. Great job Alan. This song is my life wrapped up in about three minutes. As long as country music comes out sounding like this, that’s something to be proud of.

  10. At last, Alan Jackson has released a decent song again. His last couple of albums “Red On A Rose” and “Precious Memories” were very disappointing, but he seems to be back to the Alan Jackson of old with this track. I hope his new album will have more songs like this.
    Pete (UK.)

  11. this song is great and it truly hit home i lost my dad at the end of oct. and we ilive in a small town in ILL. and we live on a farm and when my sisster heared this song she sent it to all of us. there are many things in this song that is just the way we are. the thing that is so close to being about us is the 4 girls and then other boy latter. the only thing that was not the same is that there is only 3 girls but 7 years often the baby girl they had a boy. and my dad always said for us not to cry when he was gone he was happy with the way he brought us up. I held my dad tell he took his last breath. So now i will always hold this song close to my heart cuz it reminds me of my daddy and i will always love him. Thanks for the greatest song that could have came out at a better time

  12. Small Town Southern Man is one of the BEST songs Alan Jackson has EVER wrote. It’s great to see that he’s coming back and leaving the Red on A Rose stuff behind. Although there were a few good songs on his last album, but NONE OF THOSE SONGS are even close to being as good as Small Town Southern Man. I grew up listening to Alan and I’ve liked every song he’s written. Red on a Rose was ok but it wasn’t the Alan Jackson I expected. But now he is coming back with a GREAT song and I can’t WAIT to buy this album. Alan Jackson is the MAIN one who can keep country alive! Thank you Alan for being the way you are. Do ALL your fans a favor and don’t stop being the way you are! You may not be #1 on the charts but what counts is you’re #1 in our hearts.

  13. ya know its weird i was looking up a the comment above about the girl who was talking about her dad dying at the end of october and i am very sorry, i lost my dad in the begginning of september this year, I was only 16 years old when it happened and my dad and i were watching a movie just the two of us when he had a heart attack, i too at the hospital along with my mom heald his hand as he took his last breath. my dad grew up in a small town in mississippi and i heard this song and i just could not stop crying, it touched me so much because its so much of how my family is i have two brothers and two sister and we live in a farm house in minnesota to everyone who has lost a father i am truly truly sorry but i hope it helps that you aren’t in this alone. Other people are feeling your hurt and pain and just know that some day you will see your father again one day. I love you dad

  14. none of yall can be as big as a fan as me i have every cd and i personaly love the like red on a rose but this song beats them all and i would love for aj to come to raleigh north carolina plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

  15. Alan’s now joined the group of great one’s. Merle, George and all the legendary artist’s. Alan doesn’t write songs about sexy tractors. Country music just get any better.

  16. This song is a masterpiece. It caught my ear while changing channels–and I don’t listen to country music. Production is spot on, the lyrics are are beautiful, and the music is melodic and memorable. Thanks Alan, I might even play it for my father whom I have not talked to in 13 years.

  17. This song could have been written for my dad. He is 84 as of now and it is hard for him to walk because he stumbles and falls a lot but he has always been a determined man who gave his best for his wife and children ( four girls and a boy) He and my mom celebrated 60 years of marriage this past April and she has always been the love of his life. He served in World War II and even today that is still hard for him to talk about. He loves God and is not ashamed to tell that. We lived all our lives in a little country village. It is a one-stop light town. Alan Jackson always writes about the common man in such a way that YOU ARE THERE!!!!!!! Thanks for another good one.

  18. A masterpiece indeed. Most songs I need to warm up to, but I was hooked instantly the first time I heard it on the radio. Great work, Alan.

  19. I absolutely love this song. I heard it the other day while driving and had to pull over to finish listening to it. My daddy passed away in January after living with bone cancer for 2 years. He worked hard all his life to provide for this family. This is the first Christmas without him, and as all of you can agree, those “first” without a loved one is very hard; but, Christmas is especially hard. My mom and dad got married at 16 and 18; they had 6 girls and then 8 years later had a boy. My brother has Downs and Cerebral Palsy and is in a wheelchair; he was the light of my dad’s eye. He didn’t tell anyone he was hurting for a long time because he couldn’t bear not helping with my brother. My dad was 72 when he passed. He loved the Lord, his family and Alan Jackson. I just know my daddy is in heaven listening to this song.

  20. Listening to this song, reminds me of my father and mother. My parents are from Southeast Missouri, and were married at a very young age. My father built our home, and worked very hard supporting our family. My parents have five children, Four Girls and finally got a Boy on the last try, lol.
    This song reminds me so much of my parents. My father is in heaven with Jesus and my Mother is right here, beside me, she is a great person, my best friend and a Wonderful Mother.
    Love this song!

  21. This song reminds me of my Daddy “Major M. Edmondson” he died in 1990. He was a hard worker raised 7 children and married one fine lady (my Mama). Also the song “Drive” touches me in the same way, with wonderful memories of my Daddy. He was a great man.

    Thank you Alan.

  22. This is a absolut great song! I love it, but I can´t buy it her in germany. iTune store is only for US! In Las Vegas I hope to hear it at his concert. I will go the long way to vegas with my lovley husband, jut to see Alan live. This is the greatest present I´ve ever gotten for my 40 birthday from all my friends.

  23. Once a hard rocker, now an avid “Country Music” lover and I attribute the change to Alan Jackson. His “make you think about our lives”, honesty and smoothness blows me away. His good “Country” looks doesn’t hurt him either!

  24. This song is amazing. It took me a couple listens to finally get the feel from it. Alan has one of the best vocals in country music and this song blew me away on the second listen. This song is so much better than “Red on a Rose” and I’m glad he’s returning back to releasing amazing singles like this one.

  25. Thank you Alan Jackson for “small town southern man”. If you wrote this for your father, God bless you. You could not have written a finer tribute for my father, a small town southern man, and my mother. This is a big thank you from their six kids. We miss them both, and we miss our brother Scott too. I look forward to the records release in March 2008. This is a wonderful and meaningful song and it will surely touch many hearts.

  26. I am in love with a small town southern man myself. He is the son of a small town southern man also. His daddy went o heaven recently, and I know he bowed his head down to Jesus and the angels took him, and now there is a place in heaven for him. This song is the chapter in our lives and I will never forget it. This is by far Alan’s best song ever written and sung. Alan Jackson, Im sure, wrote this about his daddy, but in my heart it was meant for me for James my small town southern man.

  27. I have enjoyed AJ for awhile and his songs are the greatest. And this one is right at the top. I see it going to number one. This one like Drive take me to a place when times are much less complex. Simpler.
    This single can be had at…. walmart.com. You can create a custom cd four song minimum for less than five bucks. You can get a twenty song cd for about twentythree bucks. Excellent search feature and library.

  28. Good Time and best of Alan, your last album is a wonder. Your country music is the kind of country i love to hear. European fans are really waiting for you here !!!!!!!!!!

    Thanks Alan

  29. ALAN’S GOOD TIME ALBUM IS THE BEST ONE HE HAS EVER MADE!!!! GOOD TIME IS ONE OF THE BEST SONGS ON THERE!!!! WAY TO GO ALAN!!!! IT’S GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK!!!!!! NO ONE CAN SING AS GOOD AS YOU DO!!! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!!

  30. I am 37 years old and just lost my husband last month in a tragic accident. We also have 5 children. When I heard this song for this first time, I could not believe it. The song captures my husbands life. This song is a comfort to me and my children. Thank you very much.

  31. Where have I been? Haven’t really listened to radio in a long time, because of my husands long illness. Turned on a local Country/Western station I used to listen to and there was Alan Jackson singing “Small Town Southern Man”. It was describing the personality of my husband completely. It just impacted me so much. What a wonderful song.

  32. I have the same comment as many before me.
    I lost my step-mother in 2/07 and my father in 3/07. They were the epitome of the “Small Town Man” story. They grew up as Arkansas farmers during the depression and witnessed WWII.’ They were still tending a garden until two years prior to their deaths.
    My daughters and I are going to attempt to sing this song at the Brents family reunion and decoration.
    Thank you, Alan Jackson for a beautiful song that touched my heart.

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