On This Day in 1993, Alan Jackson Scored a No. 1 Hit with His Signature Song “Chattahoochee”

On this day (July 17) in 1993, Alan Jackson landed his seventh No. 1 single with the iconic summer anthem “Chattahoochee.” The track was also his first entry on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 46 and giving him his first crossover hit. Additionally, it won both Single and Song of the Year at the CMA Awards. More importantly, it became his signature song.

Jackson released his debut single “Blue Blooded Woman” in 1989 and didn’t see much success. However, it didn’t take him long to find his stride. His second single, released in the same year, “Here in the Real World” peaked at No. 3, giving him his first hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. That was the beginning of a string of top-10 hits that lasted until 1998. The hot streak included 10 top-10 hits and a whopping 15 chart-toppers.

[RELATED: Behind the Song: “Chattahoochee” by Alan Jackson]

This chart success translated to the domination of the airwaves throughout the ‘90s. As a result, Jackson was one of a few artists who helped bring about the neotraditional sound that typifies ‘90s country.

Alan Jackson Has a Surprise Hit with “Chattahoochee”

Alan Jackson wrote about “Chattahoochee” in the liner notes for his 1995 album The Greatest Hits Collection. “Jim McBride and I were trying to write an up-tempo song and Jim came in with the line ‘way down yonder on the Chattahoochee’,” he recalled. “It’s a song about having fun, growing up, and coming of age in a small town which really applies to anybody across the country, not just by the Chattahoochee,” he explained, adding, “We never thought it would be as big as it’s become.”

According to Songfacts, McBride and Jackson finished the song just hours before he performed it for the first time. McBride recalled that he went on the road with Jackson shortly after getting the song idea from reading a book about the Chattahoochee River. “I sang the first couple lines, and he was all over it. We started working on it in Tallahassee and then we finished it the next day afternoon in Thibodeaux, Louisiana,” he said. “We finished it before sound check, and he showed it to the band. They actually worked it up in sound check and performed it that night,” he added.

Featured Image by Tony Norkus