Alan Jackson: Solitary Man

As a songwriter, Alan Jackson is a rarity in Nashville. With the exception of an occasional cover tune, Alan writes every song on his albums. And he knows there aren't many others today who do that.

"Well, Taylor Swift writes a lot of them herself," Alan tells Nashville's Tennessean newspaper. "But no, I don't know of anybody who does the whole thing -- I hate to say it."

Alan is celebrating his 20th anniversary in the music business with a special event in Nashville this week. And even though the business - and the world - have changed a lot in those 20 years, Alan is happy to keep things pretty simple, especially in his live shows.

"We've got video and lights and all, but I've never shot anything out of a cannon," says the singer who has sold 50 million records worldwide. "I never felt comfortable with all that. I've always believed the music was the main thing."

Alan will travel to Europe in August for his first shows there in nearly 20 years. His Scandinavian trek will take him to Denmark, Sweden and Norway. His latest album, 'Good Time,' has been certified platinum in Norway, where 14,000 tickets to his upcoming show sold in a matter of days.