Country Music Stars Alan Jackson Poseable Figure 1998 No. 18076 NRFB

There is an easy going confidence about Alan Jackson. It is the humble demeanor of a blue-collar gentleman raised in the rural South that reveals itself in his mannerisms as well as in his baritone drawl. Throughout the '80s and '90s, Alan Jackson quietly worked to become one of the most popular modern honky tonkers of his era. Born in Newnan, Georgia, as a youth he sang gospel music in church and at home. At the age of 20, he only gradually began to perform music professionally, first by sitting in with other musicians and then by starting his own band, Dixie Steel, with whom he played the local club circuit. When not writing, he performed in local clubs. After a while, he recorded a new demo tape with fellow songwriter Keith Stegall. The tape caught the attention of Arista Records, which was in the process of setting up a Nashville division, and he became the first artist on the label. In 1991 he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.