Alan Jackson isn’t letting his worsening health condition stop him from doing what he loves – making new music. At 64 years old, he still has a passion for it and still gets a kick out of the creative process that comes with making music. In fact, he says he’s always thinking of new ideas and brainstorming tracks.
Jackson vowed to continue making music while talking to his daughter, Mattie Jackson, on her In Joy Life podcast – the episode was released on February 21. “I’m always scribbling down ideas and thinking about melodies… I feel like there’ll be some more music to come, yes,” the 64-year-old father said.
The interview came less than two years after he revealed his diagnosis with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease – an inherited nerve defect that primarily impacts the hands, feet, legs, and arms. While he was initially diagnosed with CMT disease in 2011, his symptoms have been growing worse in recent years.
CMT disease ‘causes degeneration of the peripheral nerves, leading to muscle weakness in the body’s extremities,’ according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). It was named after the three physicians who discovered it in 1886 – Jean-Martin Charcot, Pierre Marie, and Howard Henry Tooth.
CMT is:
— Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (@cmtausa) April 3, 2023
Read more about CMT here: https://t.co/ETJyVVYOI6 pic.twitter.com/7l9MDmOIiR
There are roughly 126,000 people in the United States and more than 2.5 million people worldwide living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease – nearly all CMT disease cases are inherited. Other celebrities with the disease include comedian Anthony Ramos, actress Julie Newmar, and paralympian Anthony Zahn.
During his interview with his daughter, Alan Jackson was asked if fans can expect to hear a new album in the near future. Much to the delight of his loyal fanbase, Alan responded, “Yes, I would hope so” – adding that, while he hasn’t toured much in recent years, the ‘creative part jumps out every now and then.’
Alan Jackson hasn’t released an album since his return to the scene in 2021, when he dropped his Where Have You Gone album after a six-year hiatus. Jackson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017 and was recently handed the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022 by the CMA.
Alan Jackson Describes His Love for Writing Music
While speaking with his daughter in February, Alan Jackson was asked what he enjoys most about his career and the answer was easy – writing songs. He called it ‘more fulfilling than anything’ and explained how it gives him more satisfaction than going out and performing the same thing over and over again.
“When you make an album, or especially when you write a lot of the songs for it, that’s creating something. It’s a challenge, so it keeps you interested a little more. If I didn’t write, I think I would’ve gotten bored just singing a long time ago,” he said – so don’t expect him to stop writing anytime soon.
In more recent news, Alan Jackson was seen walking his daughter, Mattie Jackson, down the aisle as he officially welcomed her now-husband, Connor, into the family. “Wishing Mattie & Connor Smith a lifetime of happiness… Livin’ on Love!” he wrote on Instagram – sharing a wedding photo of the now-joined family.
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Mattie’s wedding comes roughly four years after she lost her first husband in a tragic boating accident. She started dating Connor Smith in late-2021 and announced their engagement in September 2022. Eight months later, the couple got married on May 12, 2023 at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida.