President Obama To Give Keynote Address at Washington National Cathedral Event

NASHVILLE, Tenn.  (Aug. 30, 2011) Country superstar Alan Jackson will perform at "A Concert For Hope" to be held at Washington National Cathedral on September 11, marking the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It was announced today that President Obama will also speak at the event, capping a weekend of national observance.  

Jackson’s performance will include “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” the Grammy Award winning song that embodied the thoughts and feelings of millions in the wake of the 2001 events. Written by Jackson, the song was called “…one of the most touching, powerful songs to come after the tragedies” by USA Today and dubbed “a reflective hymn that Americans will be listening to well into the second half of this century” by Salon.com. The New York Times singled out “Where Were You…” as “one of his finest songs,” and Billboard noted “a multitude of songs have been written and recorded in the wake of September 11, but none captures the myriad emotions unleashed by the terrorist attacks on an unsuspecting nation more perfectly than Jackson’s eloquent ballad.”

The chorus and melody of “Where Were You…” came to Jackson in the middle of the night several weeks after the 9/11 tragedies. He awoke…sang the words into a recorder…and completed the lyrics and verses later that same day. Initially reluctant to record the song, he was convinced by family and friends to share it with the world and debuted “Where Were You…” live on national television in early November at the 35^th annual CMA Awards.