Newnan's Wright earns GRAMMY nomination for 'Best Country Song'
By NICHOLE GOLDEN
nichole@newnan.com
“So You Don’t Have to Love Me Anymore,” recorded by Alan Jackson, has earned a GRAMMY Award nomination as “Best Country Song.”
The song was written by Alan’s nephew, Newnan native Adam Wright, and Jay Knowles.
“The first time I heard Alan sing it, it really put tears in my eyes and not just because I was hearing someone doing our song,” Wright said. “It was the emotion of having an experienced singer who could convey it... whose heart was connected with his voice. It hurt in ways that song is supposed to hurt. The fact that he can do that with a song is why he’s been so successful — there just aren’t many people on earth who can do that.”
The song has received many accolades, with the New York Times noting, “Jackson does sublimely expressive things with ‘So You Don’t Have to Love Me Anymore,’ a fine tear-jerker that captures a distinctly masculine blend of gallantry, taciturnity and martyrdom.”
Artists have echoed the media’s praise, with Taylor Swift telling Lon Helton’s Country Countdown USA, “That is, to me, one of the best songs he’s ever put out. I read those lyrics for the first time and just got chills.”
Zac Brown said, “That’s classic country. That’s a heartbreaker, tears-in-the-beer song done well. It’s a selfless song, but it’s just a great way of telling that story.”
“So You Don’t Have to Love Anymore” was recorded by Jackson for Thirty Miles West, which topped the country chart when it was released in June.
The 55th annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The event will air live on CBS-TV (8-11:30 p.m. ET).
Wright is the son of Lamar and Cathy Wright of Newnan, and he is married to singer Shannon Wright.
