Lots of us remember the first time a parent let us take the wheel. Alan Jackson turned his memory of it into a No. 1 song.
Alan is one of country music’s biggest stars. He was born in Newnan, Georgia, the youngest child in the family, with four older sisters. His parents were Joseph Eugene Jackson, known as “Daddy Gene,” and Ruth Jackson, or “Mama Ruth.”
The family lived in a small home built around his grandfather’s old toolshed. Mama Ruth stayed in that house for the rest of her life, until she passed away on Jan. 7, 2017.
Daddy Gene passed away on Jan. 31, 2000.
Two years later, Alan put out a song for him. “Drive (For Daddy Gene)” came out in January 2002 as the second single from his album “Drive,” and the song is dedicated to his father.
So what’s it about? It’s about Daddy Gene letting his little boy drive.
In the song, Alan looks back on his father letting him steer an old boat around the lake. He remembers driving an old, beat-up truck the two of them had fixed up together. They’re small moments, and anyone who grew up with a dad like that will feel them.
Then, in the last verse, the song comes full circle. Alan is the dad now, and he’s letting his own daughters drive his Jeep around their pasture.
Alan married his high school sweetheart, Denise, on Dec. 15, 1979. Their three girls are Mattie, Ali and Dani. They’re the daughters in that last verse, and they’re in the music video too.
The video was directed by Steven Goldmann, and it looks like the pictures in a storybook coming to life. First there’s a boy and his father in a speedboat, then a truck and finally Alan with his three daughters. Watch closely near the end, because there’s a fun little difference between the song and the screen.
The music video for “Drive (For Daddy Gene)”
Did you catch it? In the song, Alan lets his girls drive a Jeep. In the video, he’s behind the wheel of a Ford Bronco.
The video won Video of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
The song did just as well. In May 2002, “Drive (For Daddy Gene)” went to No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart. It also reached No. 28 on the all-genre Hot 100, and it’s been certified Platinum. Years later, Rolling Stone put it on its list of “The 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time.”
Alan sang it at an awards show in 2002, the same year it hit No. 1. This fan upload catches him singing his father’s song while it was still brand new.
Alan sings “Drive” at a 2002 awards show
Alan kept singing it. If you’d like to hear how the song sounds in concert, here’s another fan upload of him performing it live at a show called Aquapalooza.
Alan performs “Drive” live at Aquapalooza
Daddy Gene passed away before the song came out, so he never heard it. But his name is right there in the title, and his granddaughters got the same gift he once gave Alan.