Riley Green was one of the performers for Alan Jackson‘s final headlining show, Last Call: One More for the Road – The Finale. For Green, who writes a lot of his own music, much of his inspiration came from watching Jackson.
“Only Alan Jackson can write an Alan Jackson song,” Green says. “And songwriting for me was something that I knew when I was playing cover shows, I was never the best singer. So, I had to find some way to set myself apart. For me, it was songwriting, cause nobody could tell that exact story I told. And when I got into my music career and realized Alan had written so many of his own songs, even solo writes, that was one of the most impressive things to me.”
Green still recalls opening for Jackson, when Green’s own career was just getting started. The show left an indelible mark on Green.
“I opened for Alan probably eight years ago or so at Tuscaloosa Amphitheater,” Green recalls. “Biggest show of my life at the time, and certainly one that stands out. He asked me to come on his bus, say hello to him, which he didn’t have to do. And I think that’s another reason that he’s such a legend in this world is that he’s just great to everybody.”
What Riley Green Previously Said About Alan Jackson
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When Green was announced as one of the performers, he revealed how much Jackson influenced his own career.
“I’m a huge Merle Haggard fan. But in my lifetime – Merle was a little before my time – in my lifetime, it doesn’t get any bigger than Alan Jackson for me,” Green said. “I guess I was probably one of those people who thought everybody wrote their own songs, until I got to a place where I realized there were songwriters, and that’s how that worked. When I found out that Alan Jackson wrote a lot of his own songs, and he wrote a lot of them by himself, I realized how rare that was. It’s something that made me an even bigger fan.
“I was so honored to get that call about being part of that show, because they could have gotten anybody,” he adds. “I’m a huge fan of Alan.”
Why Alan Jackson Is Retiring From Touring
Jackson announced in 2021 that he was battling Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, a neurological disorder that affects his mobility. He quietly struggled with the disease for several years, before going public with the news.
“I’ve been touring for over 30 years, played everywhere, in countries and parts of the world,” Jackson said when announcing his retirement plans. “I’ve had a wonderful, wonderful career, and I’m getting into my twilight years … I enjoy spending more time at home, and don’t want to be away like I had been in my younger days. And I don’t tour as much now as I did, of course, ten years ago, but I think it’s getting time to start thinking about hanging it up full-time.”