CMA Awards2022: Alan Jackson earns Lifetime Achievement Award with an all-star tribute

At Wednesday's CMA Awards, Alan Jackson was presented with the association's Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, following an all-star tribute performance by Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi, Carrie Underwood and Lainey Wilson.

Underwood opened the tribute with a rendition of Jackson's 2003 hit ballad "Remember When."

"The very first concert I ever went to was an Alan Jackson concert," Underwood said on stage. "Seeing him perform helped inspire me to pursue my dreams. It's been said that country music is three chords and the truth. And in every one of Alan Jackson songs, there is truth, for his powerful voice speaks to us about hope and heartache, about fun and friendship, about tragedy and triumph. About life, and a little about love. Alan, you have friends in every corner of this great country, and a special few of them are here tonight to honor you."

That cued Dierks Bentley to begin one of Jackson's signature good time tunes, 1993's "Chattahoochee." Pardi and Wilson followed with "Drive (For Daddy Gene)" and "Chasin' That Neon Rainbow," respectively.

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Finally, Jackson himself took the stage to join them on "Don't Rock the Jukebox," as the crowd immediately rose to its feet.

"Country music's been really good to me," Jackson said on stage after the performance. "I fell in love with it when I was a young man."

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As he talked about first coming to Nashville to pursue his dream, he referenced Underwood's line about "three chords and the truth."

"Mine was more like 'Three chords and a prayer,'" he said, as the crowd laughed.

"God answered a little bit."

The honor for Jackson comes one year after the Country Music Hall of Famer revealed he had been diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease — a group of disorders that cause nerve damage — which has affected his ability to move and keep balance on stage.

In a 2021 interview with the "TODAY" show, Jackson said he inherited the disease from his father, and it has affected several members of his family. He was diagnosed 11 years ago.

"It's been affecting me for years, and it's getting more and more obvious," Jackson said. "And I know I'm stumbling around on stage and now I'm having a little trouble balancing even in front of the microphone, and so I just feel very uncomfortable, and I just want people to know that's why I look like I do."

"There's nobody who has moved to Nashville and aspired to be successful in this town who hasn't been influenced by Alan Jackson," Wilson told The Tennessean during CMA rehearsals.

"He's a storyteller's storyteller who has always remained true to himself. He's never wavered from who he is while still growing artistically and pushing boundaries and limits. He deserves to be honored."

The six-time 2022 CMA Award nominee added that being hand-picked by Jackson to perform was stunning.

"Hot damn, Alan Jackson knows who I am!" Wilson exclaimed.

This year, Jackson embarked on his "Last Call: One More for the Road" tour, and was named "Artist of a Lifetime" at the annual CMT Artists of the Year ceremony.

Previous recipients of the CMA's Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Charley Pride, and Loretta Lynn.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CMA Awards: Alan Jackson earns Lifetime Achievement Award with tribute