At the ACM Artist of the Decade (2010), the spotlight didn’t just fall on Alan Jackson — it quietly passed through Carrie Underwood first. She stepped onto the stage and began a medley of his songs: “Chattahoochee”… then “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).” The arena felt different. Lighter. Heavier. Like two eras were breathing the same air. Down in the audience, Alan Jackson didn’t clap right away. He simply stared, eyes shining, as if a memory had walked back onstage wearing a younger voice. The press would later say she didn’t sing like a rising star — she sang like a student bowing to her teacher. But what happened after the music stopped… that’s the part few people know.
A Quiet Build-Up Before the Music Began The 2010 ACM Awards were filled with lights, applause, and famous faces, but…