Next year marks 20 years since Alan Jackson signed his first recording deal, and quite a bit's changed. He has a hard time going anywhere without being recognized, and he's been referred to as a modern-day version of Hank Williams by more than one critic impressed with his songwriting.

Despite having a bigger bank account and very recognizable face, Alan says he's still the same guy.

"Even though we have a big home and fancy cars and all that junk, I'm still at home with my tennis shoes on and my jeans," he told Dial-Global. "I wear my ball cap, and I go fishing, and I fool with my cars and the same hobbies and the same things. I look at Hemmings magazine every month to see what old cars are in it, just like I did when I was 16 years old... We're not big socialites, and we don't have dinner parties, and we just go to the girls' basketball games and go to the lake, just like we always have. So in a lot of ways, I'm still the same."

That's part of the reason that Alan is still able to write a song like "Small Town Southern Man." The single, which celebrates working-class dignity and integrity, remains in the Top 5 on the national country charts, and it rose to No. 1 last week on GAC's Top 20 Country Countdown.