Country Superstar Alan Jackson, Sony Split

The label announced the split in a short statement Thursday and the country singer with the trademark mustache and deep, rich voice confirmed it with a statement of his own a little later. The partnership started in 1989 when Jackson was the first artist signed to Arista Nashville, now a Sony imprint, and has yielded dozens of No. 1 hits and tens of millions in album sales.

“I’ve had a great run with Arista, going all the way back to the beginning of my career when I signed with Tim DuBois,” Jackson said in a statement released by his management company, the co-op. “I’ve gotten to work with some real great people along the way and we accomplished a lot. It just seems to me like the time may be right to change things up a bit and see what comes next.”

Jackson’s manger, Nancy Russell, told The Associated Press that Jackson could be close to closing a new record deal and said “there’s three options that look really good.” She said Jackson suspended the relationship in September, but agreed to work with the label on a greatest hits compilation released last fall.

“We’re actually excited about it,” said Russell, who is in her third stint as Jackson’s manager. “I’m a little sentimental about endings but it’s always fun to go with fresh starts.”

The 52-year-old singer, perhaps best known for his song “Chattahoochee,” has made an indelible mark on country music, helping to launch a return to the traditional sound of the genre at a time when it had gone glam in the 1990s. The two-time Country Music Association entertainer of the year has had 35 No. 1 hits, including “As She’s Walking Away,” his recent collaboration with the Zac Brown Band.

The statement from Sony thanked Jackson for “their long association and many hit records achieved as a result of that association.” The release called it “an amicable parting.” Spokesman Chris Melancon says Sony has no further comment.