Alan Jackson Performs ‘Drive (For Daddy Gene)’ on ‘A Capitol Fourth’

Alan Jackson was one of the multiple performers during PBS’ annual Fourth of July broadcast, A Capitol Fourth, on Sunday, and the country star took the stage to perform his hit “Drive (For Daddy Gene)” during the show. Jackson performed from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, the stage decorated with a series of American flags.

“I lost my daddy and I wanted to write a song for him, and I didn’t want to write some old sad crying, dying thing,” Jackson said at the beginning of his performance, “so I started thinking about growing up, and all I ever wanted to do is drive something. He taught me all about that and that’s what this song’s about.” Jackson wrote “Drive (For Daddy Gene)” as a tribute to his late father, Eugene Jackson, who died in 2000. The song was released as the second single from Jackson’s 2002 album Drive and reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks and peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song sees Jackson recall learning to drive a truck and a boat with guidance from his dad, and the last verses share the singer’s memories of his three daughters learning to drive his Jeep. Later in the show, the country star performed again when he sang a rendition of “America the Beautiful.”

Along with Jackson, other performers during this year’s A Capitol Fourth included Mickey Guyton, Jimmie Allen, Jennifer Nettles, Gladys Knight, Broadway stars Ali Stroker and Laura Osnes, Jimmy Buffett and Cynthia Erivo, Pentatonix, Auli’i Cravalho and Train. The show was hosted by Vanessa Williams.

The National Symphony Orchestra played under the direction of top pops conductor Jack Everly and opera singer Renée Fleming opened the show with a special performance of the national anthem. There was also a special performance ahead of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, with the National Symphony Orchestra performing John Williams’ composition “Olympic Fanfare” in tribute to Team USA, honoring the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams preparing for the games. A Capitol Fourth will be available as Video on Demand for a limited time only from July 4 to July 18, 2021.