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CMA New Artist Spotlight: Jason
Michael Carroll
PHOTO
BY DAVID JOHNSON
Arista
Nashville recording artist Jason Michael Carroll.
| By
Peter Cronin and Kristen Sherer |
| ©
2007 CMA Close Up News Service |
Jason Michael Carroll
is a 28-year-old North Carolinian who's not afraid to dream big.
As a preacher's son, Carroll grew up not being allowed to listen
to "secular" music, but like any resourceful young man,
he eventually found his dream emanating from the radio.
Carroll became obsessed
with Country Music and quickly got his first break, winning a local
radio station's karaoke contest. As a result of that triumph, he
was asked to join a local band. His appearance on "Gimme the
Mic," an "American Idol"-style show for local FOX
television affiliates, led Carroll to a national competition in
New York City where he caught the attention of manager Rusty Harmon,
who had helped Hootie & the Blowfish to multi-Platinum success.
A subsequent meeting with producer Don Gehman (John Mellencamp,
REM) led Carroll to a deal with Arista Nashville.
Things started falling
into place when he was given the opportunity to write with Jewel,
a singer/songwriter he had long admired. They collaborated (with
Shaye Smith) on the ballad "No Good in Goodbye," which
they recorded as a duet on Carroll's Gehman-produced debut album
Waitin' in the Country, released Feb. 6. An unflinching look at
the life and death of an abused child, first single "Alyssa
Lies" is one of five songs written or co-written by Carroll
on the album, and is quickly climbing the charts. The single has
already set multiple records, and it's massive airplay success has
now made Carroll the first new male Country artist in two and a
half years to take a debut single into the Country airplay Top 5.
IN HIS OWN WORDS:
Who is your musical
hero?
"Garth Brooks, George
Strait, Steven Tyler. Do I have to pick one?"
What book is on your
nightstand?
"Walk This Way:
The Autobiography of Aerosmith."
What moment in your
life would you relive if you could?
"The day I left
North Carolina and moved to Texas. That was my last day with both
of my grandparents."
What word or phrase
do you find yourself saying over and over again?
"I can sleep when
I'm dead."
Do you have a lucky
charm?
"I have four of
them: My kids, Gavin Michael, Savanna Nicole, Stori Paige and J.W.
They're all the luck I'll ever need."
If you wrote an autobiography,
what would the title be?
"Don't Try This
at Home: The Jason Michael Carroll Story."
On the Web:
www.myspace.com/jasonmichaelcarroll
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is Detroit's exclusive media outlet for this syndicated weekly column!
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