Surfacing

Turning the spotlight on musicians making a commercial breakthrough.

“Waitin’ in the Country”

Jason Michael Carroll

Arista Nashville

Artist info: The first thing that hits you about Carroll is that he doesn’t look anything like he sounds. A resemblance to one of the Hanson brothers might give the impression that his voice would be light and airy pop. Instead, the listener is treated to one of the weightiest bourbon-soaked baritones in contemporary country. Carroll is not afraid to tackle challenging themes as in his first single, “Alyssa Lies,” released in late 2006. The ballad delivers an emotional wallop as it deals with the theme of child abuse and a horribly tragic result.

Back story: Carroll was born June 13, 1978 in Texas, but grew up in Franklinton, N.C. Because his father was a strict preacher, very little pop music was allowed in the house and church music was an early influence. During a stint working at a motor company, Carroll discovered that his true love was country music and he began to sing with a local band, Chasin’ Country. After a short period in his native Texas, he moved back to North Carolina in 2004 to be the singer of the band Steel Kick’n. That summer, he entered the Fox-TV contest show “Gimme the Mike” in Raleigh and won. This led to his meeting manager Rusty Harmon, who had helped to propel Hootie and the Blowfish to national attention. It was simply a matter of time before Nashville started to take notice. A deal with RCA Nashville was reached in 2005 and Carroll found himself opening for such acts as Brad Paisley and Josh Turner. With producer Don Gehman (Hootie and the Blowfish, John Mellencamp, REM) on board and a duet with Jewel, Carroll’s debut album shows indications that his waitin’ in the country may have come to an end. First week sales of more than 50,000 earned him a No. 1 debut on the new country album charts and promise for success.

Influences: Garth Brooks, George Strait, Randy Travis, Trace Adkins.

Trivia: A discovered copy under Carroll’s pillow of “Achy Breaky Heart” earned him a spanking from his father when Carroll was a boy.