He just wanted to give his mom a gift. Instead, Precious Memories, the old-time gospel album Jackson recorded as a Christmas present to her—with vocal cameos from his wife, Denise, and older daughters Mattie and Ali—wound up being a surprise to himself, garnering critical acclaim and two CMA nominations. "It's funny it has done so well," says Jackson, 47. "I just wanted to make it real simple. I wanted it to sound like my mama would have heard it in church." With his new CD, the Alison Krauss-produced Like Red on a Rose, Jackson is back to straight-on country. But he has more experimenting in mind. "I like Kelly Clarkson's 'Breakaway,'" he says. "I told my girls I could put a banjo in that thing and make it country!"
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
