Country music superstar Alan Jackson, 56, whose new album, Angels and Alcohol, is out now, shares 25 surprising facts about himself with Us Weekly.
1. I once sang “Respect” with Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston.
2. I’ve performed for the past four U.S. presidents.
3. My first performance was in a second grade assembly program.
4. I played Barnaby in my high school’s production of Sing Out, Sweet Land.
5. Growing up, I had a pet squirrel monkey.
6. I love classic reruns on TV Land.
7. I drove a forklift at the Kmart warehouse in Newnan, Ga., before moving to Nashville.
8. I started wearing a hat to cover up a scar on my forehead.
9. Our 4-pound Yorkie, Coco, sleeps at the foot of our bed in a pink dog bed.
10. I hate kale and brussels sprouts, but love turnip greens.
11. I’m a member of The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club.
12. My first band was named Dixie Steel after a box of nails on the floor.
13. I jumped a monster truck over six cars in my “Who’s Cheatin’ Who” music video.
14. I have my private pilot’s license.
15. I was 20 when I went to my first concert.
16. I’m a Weather Channel junkie.
17. I can wiggle my ears.
18. I’ve always loved to play practical jokes.
19. My first job, at age 12, was in a shoe repair shop.
20. The first time I flew in a plane, I was 26.
21. My greatest passion is restoring antique cars.
22. I am never without Blue Plate mayonnaise when I’m on tour.
23. I can whistle like an ambulance siren.
24. I make good cornbread from scratch.
25. Dale Earnhardt once drove me from an airport in the Bahamas to my boat.