Alan Jackson paid tribute to his late father during his A Capitol Fourth performance on PBS.
Live from Nashville famed Ryman Auditorium, surrounded by American flags, the country music icon performed the touching track he penned for his late father, “Drive (For Daddy Gene).”
“I lost my daddy and I wanted to write a song for him, and I didn’t want to write some old sad cryin’, dyin’ thing, so I started thinkin’ about growing up and all I ever wanted to do is drive something, he taught me all about that and that’s what this song’s about,” Jackson said ahead of his emotion-filled performance.
Watch the performance below.
Alan Jackson (@officialjackson) performs, "Drive (For Daddy Gene)" on A Capitol Fourth 2021. #July4thPBS pic.twitter.com/K2zIK1Nbrs
— A Capitol Fourth (@July4thPBS) July 5, 2021
Later in the show, Jackson performed a stunning rendition of “America The Beautiful,” which you can see below.
Alan Jackson (@officialjackson) sings, "America the Beautiful" on A Capitol Fourth 2021. #July4thPBS pic.twitter.com/iEfqdfpiOs
— A Capitol Fourth (@July4thPBS) July 5, 2021
A Capitol Fourth brought together with themes of love, hope, and patriotism and also featured performances from Cynthia Erivo, Jimmy Buffett, Pentatonix, Gladys Knight, Train, Jennifer Nettles, Jimmie Allen, Mickey Guyton, Ali Stroker, Auli’i Cravalho and more.
Additionally, Renée Fleming kicked off the celebratory event with a stunning rendition of The National Anthem.
Co-hosted by Vanessa Williams, the 41st annual A Capitol Fourth, America’s Independence Day celebration aired on Sunday, July 4 (8:00-9:30 p.m. EST) on PBS, as well as to our troops serving around the world on the American Forces Network.
“I am so honored to be hosting A Capitol Fourth this year,” said host Vanessa Williams, “I first performed on this national July 4th TV tradition in 2005, and it has always held a special place in my heart.”
