On This Date: Alan Jackson Released His Fourth Straight #1 Hit “Dallas,” Inspired By A Show At Billy Bob’s Texas

Alan Jackson country music
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It doesn’t get more iconic than the world’s largest honky tonk.

Since the early ’80s, the iconic country music venue in Fort Worth, Texas, the great Billy Bob’s, has brought in legends like George Jones, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, and continues to be a part of country music history with some really cool moments in the last few years that included Miranda Lambert and Hank Williams, Jr.

It’s so legendary, in fact, that Alan Jackson wrote a song about it after he played a show there.

On this date in 1991, he released his hit, “Dallas,” after commenting that the venue made him “wish Dallas was in Tennessee”. Technically, Billy Bob’s is in Fort Worth, not too far from Dallas, so we’re gonna let him slide on this one.

A co-write by Alan and Keith Stegall, it was third single from Alan’s second studio album, Don’t Rock the Jukebox, and became his fourth consecutive #1 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

The clever lyrics detail how the woman he loves, named Dallas, is heading back to Dallas, Texas. He notes that, just like in real life, he wished the actual city (and the girl) could be in Tennessee.

After I went there for the first time a couple years ago, I wholeheartedly agree… we need a Billy Bob’s in every state. It’s unlike any other venue you’ve ever been to, I can promise you that.

And here’s a great live performance of it, straight from the Lone Star state many years ago… long live Billy Bob’s, y’all:

“Dallas”

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