Alan Jackson’s “Precious Memories” earns its name

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Cindy Watts/The Tennessean

Alan Jackson named his first gospel album “Precious Memories,” but it took him until round two to get a song by that name on an album.

Jackson’s 11-song collection “Precious Memories Volume II” will be in stores Tuesday and this time it contains the title track.

“Everybody was like, ‘Why didn’t you put “Precious Memories” on the first one?” Jackson recalls. “Truth is we didn’t even sing that song in the Baptist Church. I don’t even think it’s in the hymnal. I love the song and we just picked that title for the first one and now it makes sense to do it, but it’s kind of backwards.”

As for the other 10 tracks on the album, Jackson says he and his wife Denise had some of the song choices made before they ever officially started making them.

“That first album was just a fluke,” Jackson says of the now double-platinum album. “I made that thing right quick for my mama and so many people loved it. All I been hearing is, ‘When you gonna make another one?’ We just picked up where we left off with the last one with all the songs we had and tried to figure out a few more that would work.”

In addition to “Precious Memories,” the album includes “Amazing Grace,” “He Lives,” “There’s Power in the Blood” and “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder.”