Jason Aldean just released his first-ever Christmas song, and it honors one of his musical heroes. The Georgia native released “Christmas in Dixie,” a cover of one of Alabama‘s classic holiday songs.

“The band Alabama has been really influential on my career, so it’s cool to get to give a nod to my musical heroes with the first Christmas song we’ve ever put out,” Aldean shares on social media.

Aldean recently celebrated his 27th No. 1 hit, with “Trouble With a Heartbreak.” The song is the second single from his Macon, Georgia double record, following his chart-topping “If I Didn’t Love You” duet with Carrie Underwood.

“I’m so thankful for the career I’ve had,” Aldean said on Country Countdown USA. “You get a couple No. 1 [hits], and then there’s ten, and 20. It’s so beyond what I imagined when I started this. I hope I’ve got a few more in me, but 27, I’m extremely proud of that for sure.”

Aldean’s success also includes five Grammy nominations, sold-out tours, being named the ACM Artist of the Decade and more. It’s a lot for Aldean to take in.

“In the past five years, I’ve finally been able to take the time to accept that I’ve accomplished far more in my career than I ever thought I would,” Aldean told The Tennessean. “Never in a trillion years did I expect this. I just wanted to make a decent living, have a nice house, keep the lights turned on and pay off my bills.”

Aldean spent part of this year on his Rock ‘N Roll Cowboy Tour. Gabby Barrett opened for him for the first half, with  Travis Tritt, Tracy Lawrence and Chase Rice all taking turns in the second half, while Barrett awaited the arrival of her second child, born last month.

“I don’t think it’s any secret that Tracy Lawrence has been one of my heroes forever,” Aldean said of touring with his musical idols. “And Travis, too, I remember going to see Travis Tritt at the Omni in Atlanta when I was a teenager, and he was one of those guys that did the country Southern rock thing, and I just thought that was so cool. And obviously, he was a big influence for me, too. And so to have those guys out … my graduation present from high school was tickets to go see Tracy Lawrence. So here I am, out on tour, and these guys are opening for me. It’s pretty wild.”

Aldean’s cover of Alabama’s “Christmas in Dixie” is available here.