For “The Sultans of Twang,” our fashion portfolio celebrating the legends (and legends-to-be) of country and Americana music, GQ Style fashion director Mobolaji Dawodu mixed some of the best designer duds with the artists’ own Stetsons, boots, and belt buckles. And Alan Jackson, the twang-y crooner behind good-time hits like “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” and “Chattahoochee,” pulled up to our Nashville studio in a tour bus full of mind-blowingly-cool gear. Alan’s personal style is deeply country. Over the course of his three-decade career, his uniform of studded western shirts, washed-out bootleg jeans, exotic-skin boots, and impeccably-shaped 10 gallon hats has become nothing short of iconic (that’s what happens when you sell 60 million albums). So, with a little guidance from Mobolaji, we let him wear all his own clothing for the shoot—and talked to him about country music’s unique fashion tradition. Don’t miss the full portfolio, featuring fellow flashy dressers like Marty Stuart and John Prine, right here.

GQ Style: What is the story behind those incredible boots you brought to our photo shoot?

Alan Jackson: I’ve got a dozen pair like this. Back in the early ’90s I had a lot of custom stuff made. I had a red pair that I wore waterskiing in the “Chattahoochee” video. These are from the same line. That same guy made a bunch of those for me.

It’s funny how country singers on one hand are the salt-of-the-earth blue-collar folks, but on the other hand they do have a fashion tradition. They can be very particular about their boots and hats and even jeans.

Exactly. I’m definitely that way and always have been. I wanted to wear a hat because I felt like a lot of the artists that I grew up loving wore hats. Hank Williams. And Haggard wore one more of his life. Gosh, there’s so many of them. It always seemed like it made sense to me. I grew up a cowboy fan, watching Bonanza and Gunsmoke and The Rifleman when I was a little boy, and I always loved them guys in hats.