Happy anniversary to the Jacksons.
It takes a special kind of woman to be with a musician of any kind, but especially one with the level of fame that Alan Jackson has. However, Alan struck gold with his relationship and has had a woman by his side cheering on his music and other endeavors.
Today, 44 years ago, Alan Jackson married his high school sweetheart, Denise.
“44 years strong! Let’s all send our warmest wishes to Alan and Denise as they celebrate their special day.”
The couple first met in their hometown of Newnan, Georgia, and began dating in high school. After three years together, Alan decided to put a ring on her finger, and the two were wed.
While Jackson was not pursuing a musical career when they got married, Denise was a big factor in Jackson chasing his dreams. She encouraged him to pursue singing and pitched him to Glen Campbell while she was working as a flight attendant.
“We were still living in Newnan, so I was commuting out of the Atlanta airport, and I saw Glenn in the boarding area. I just am not the type to approach people, but I just thought, ‘This may be our only chance. I have to do it.'”
People Magazine reported as she recalled the interaction that would later kickstart his career.
Alan and Denise would then move to Nashville in 1985, where he would appear on You Can Be A Star and be signed to his first label in 1989. From there, his musical career took off and has not slowed since.
While the couple was happy for many years, bringing three daughters into the world, they hit a rough patch after the birth of their last daughter, which led to a separation.
“I think Alan got to a point after 18 years where he thought, ‘We both deserve so much more than this, and we haven’t been able to fix it yet, and I don’t think it’s fixable. So that was really the turning point where he said, ‘Enough is enough. I’m leaving.'”
The separation did not last long, though, as the couple joined again four months later when he visited and asked her on a date. During their time apart, Alan was not faithful to his wife, and Denise was heartbroken to learn this. She, however, knew that she wanted to be with Alan and forgave him for his mistakes.
Once they had worked through their issues and moved on from this, Denise wanted to write about their marriage and how they overcame their hardships together.
“He knew why I wanted to write the book and that it was important for me to admit that he had been unfaithful, because one of the main messages of the book is about forgiveness and how healing can come when we work through problems and infidelities.”
While Alan was supportive of her but was worried that his image might be slightly tarnished when his fans learned about him, he explained to The Boot that:
“I thought some fans might be offended by all the truth that’s in there. There was information in there that tarnished me a little bit, [but] the overall story was worth the risk. I thought it would help a lot of people, give people some encouragement that had gone through the same situation.”
The two have had their ups and downs for sure, but that will come when you have been with someone for 44 years and seen them through so many chapters of life. Jackson knows that he struck gold with Denise, though. He gave her the sweetest shoutout during his 2022 CMA Award Lifetime Achievement Award, dedicating part of the award to her.
“I’m probably not always the easiest person to love, but she’s been there and helped me through hard times. And we’ve shared great times. The good, the bad, the happy, and the sad, we’ve survived a lot.
I just want to thank her because she’s held me up all these years, and she’s my best friend. And she gave me a wonderful family.”
Cheers to the couple, we hope they are “Livin’ On Love” today.
