The Real Reason Alan Jackson Wears A Cowboy Hat

The Real Reason Alan Jackson Wears A Cowboy Hat | Classic Country Music | Legendary Stories and Songs Videos

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Alan Jackson‘s cowboy hat is nearly as iconic as his instantly recognizable voice. But, the reason he started wearing his trademark Stetson had more to do with being self-conscious than trying to be country.

In a 2018 interview with GQ, the “Chattahoochee” singer revealed that he first started wearing a cowboy hat when he began singing in high school because he was self-conscious about a scar on his forehead.

“I started off really when I was a teenager. I had a—and I still have it—a big scar on my forehead from when I ran through a glass door when I was little. And I was always self-conscious, so when I started singing in high school it kinda bothered me,” Jackson said. “It was bigger and bolder then; I guess it’s kinda worn down over the years. I first started wearing a hat when I was about 17, my old brown cowboy hat. That’s the hat I wore to Nashville when I came.”


The singer did say that he was inspired to wear a cowboy hat by artists that he grew up listening to.

“I wanted to wear a hat because I felt like a lot of the artists that I grew up loving wore hats. Hank Williams. And Haggard wore one more of his life,” Alan told GQ. “It always seemed like it made sense to me. I grew up a cowboy fan, watching Bonanza and Gunsmoke and The Rifleman when I was a little boy, and I always loved them guys in hats.”

Few photos are seen of Alan Jackson without a hat, whether it be a cowboy hat or baseball cap. He explained the reason is that he spends a lot of time outside “fishing and in boats and in convertible cars” and wants to keep the sun off. He also said that there are few photos of him without his head covered because he is simply used to wearing a hat.

 

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“There’s a couple of [photos] around where I’d raised my hat to say something, or I’m waving goodbye. My wife and people in the office have shown me some of those…some of them look pretty rough and some of them look pretty good. But yeah, I’ve just kinda gotten used to wearing them,” Jackson said.

Hear Alan Jackson sing “He Stopped Loving Her Today” at George Jones’ funeral in the video below, and see him honor the late singer with a rare removal of his hat in a nod to the legend at the song’s conclusion.

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