''Precious Memories'' is the thirteenth studio album and the first gospel album by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for blending traditional honky-tonk and mainstream country pop sounds (for a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country"), as well as penning many ...

. It was released on February 28, 2006 on the

Arista Nashville Arista Nashville is an American record label that serves as a wholly owned division of Sony Music, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specializes in country music artists, including Alan Jackson, Brooks ...

label. This project began at The Rukkus Room Recording Studios when Alan Jackson recorded a song for his Father-In-Law’s funeral. This recording led to what is now the ''Precious Memories'' album. Unlike his previous albums, this is a side project composed of traditional

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

songs. Although no singles were released from it, ''Precious Memories'' earned a Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA). A second volume, ''

Precious Memories Volume II ''Precious Memories Volume II'' is the eighteenth studio album and the second gospel album by American country music artist Alan Jackson. It was released on March 26, 2013, via Alan's Country Records and EMI Nashville. The album is a follow-up t ...

'', was released on March 26, 2013.

Track listing

All tracks Traditional except where noted. #"

Blessed Assurance "Blessed Assurance" is a well-known Christian hymn. The lyrics were written in 1873 by blind hymn writer Fanny Crosby to the music written in 1873 by Phoebe Knapp. History Crosby was visiting her friend Phoebe Knapp as the Knapp home was having a ...

" – 1:56 (Phoebe P. Knapp, Fanny J. Crosby) #"

Softly and Tenderly "Softly and Tenderly" is a Christian hymn. It was composed and written by Will L. Thompson in 1880. Allegedly, when evangelist Dwight L. Moody was in the hospital barred from seeing visitors although Thompson had arrived, Moody insisted tha ...

" – 3:17 ( Will L. Thompson) #" I Love to Tell the Story" – 2:53 (William G. Fischer, Katherine Hankey) #"When We All Get to Heaven" (Eliza E. Hewitt) – 1:44 #"'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" (Louisa M. R. Stead) – 1:52 #" In the Garden" ( Charles Austin Miles) – 2:54 #" Are You Washed in the Blood?" (Elisha Hoffman)– 1:15 #"

I'll Fly Away "I'll Fly Away" is a hymn written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley and published in 1932 by the Hartford Music company in a collection titled ''Wonderful Message''.Richard Matteson, Jr.''The Bluegrass Picker's Tune Book'' Mel Bay Publications, 2006 ...

" (

Albert E. Brumley Albert Edward Brumley (October 29, 1905 – November 15, 1977) was an American shape note music composer and publisher, prolific in the genre of southern gospel. Biography Brumley was born near Spiro, Oklahoma on October 29, 1905, into a famil ...

) – 2:13 #"

What a Friend We Have in Jesus "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" is a Christian hymn originally written by preacher Joseph M. Scriven as a poem in 1855 to comfort his mother, who was living in Ireland while he was in Canada. Scriven originally published the poem anonymously, a ...

" (Charles Converse, Joseph Scriven) – 2:16 #"Standing on the Promises" (Russell Kelso Carter) – 1:35 #"Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" (Helen H. Lemmel) – 3:47 #"

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms ''Leaning on the Everlasting Arms'' is a hymn published in 1887 with music by Anthony J. Showalter and lyrics by Showalter and Elisha Hoffman. Showalter said that he received letters from two of his former pupils saying that their wives had die ...

" (Anthony J. Showalter, Elisha A. Hoffman)– 1:34 #"

The Old Rugged Cross "The Old Rugged Cross" is a popular hymn written in 1912 by American evangelist and song-leader George Bennard (1873–1958). History George Bennard was a native of Youngstown, Ohio, but was reared in Iowa. After his conversion in a Salvation ...

" (George Bennard) – 3:06 #"

How Great Thou Art "How Great Thou Art" is a Christian hymn based on an original Swedish hymn entitled "" written in 1885 by Carl Boberg (1859–1940). The English version of the hymn and its title are a loose translation by the English missionary Stuart K. Hine ...

" (Stuart Hine) – 3:32 #"I Want to Stroll Over Heaven with You" (Dale Dodson) – 3:06

Personnel

As listed in liner notes. *

– vocals, acoustic guitar *

Melodie Crittenden Melodie Crittenden (born 1968) is an American country and Christian music artist. Her first album was recorded at the age of nine in Norman, Oklahoma, and was titled ''Melodie Sings''. She traveled around Oklahoma with her family band "The Crit ...

– backing vocals * Ali Jackson – backing vocals on "'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" * Dani Jackson – assistant backing vocals on "'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" * Denise Jackson – backing vocals on "'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" * Mattie Jackson – backing vocals on "'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" *

Brent Mason Brent Mason (born July 13, 1959) is an American, Nashville, Tennessee-based recording studio guitarist and songwriter, performing primarily country music. Guitar World Magazine listed him as one of the "Top Ten Session Guitarists of All Time". ...

– acoustic guitar *Gary Prim –

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, organ *

John Wesley Ryles John Wesley Ryles (born December 2, 1950) is an American country music artist. Ryles recorded a string of hit country songs, beginning in 1968 when he was still a teenager, and continuing through the 1980s. He no longer records as a headline ar ...

– backing vocals * Keith Stegall – piano on "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus"

Chart performance

''Precious Memories'' debuted at No. 4 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200, and No. 1 on the

Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales ...

, becoming his eighth #1 country album. In August 2006, ''Precious Memories'' was certified Platinum by the RIAA. It has sold 389,600 copies in the United States as of November 2017.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sales and certifications

Awards

In 2007, the album won a Dove Award for Country Album of the Year at the

38th GMA Dove Awards The 38th Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 25, 2007 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2006. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Brian Littrell, Natalie Grant, and ...

.38th Annual GMA Awards
on About.com

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2006 albums Arista Records albums Gospel albums by American artists Alan Jackson albums Albums produced by Keith Stegall