No doubt about it, Jeff Carson is one of country music's hottest stars. There is also no doubt that his demeanor is the polar opposite of what most would associate with being "a star." He is charming, unassuming and affable. No arrogance, no standoffishness and if he carries any psychological baggage, it is certainly well-hidden. One thing that he doesn't hide, however, is the prodigious musical gift that has made him one of the brightest recording artists in Nashville.
Carson experienced the bloom of 'first love' with country radio eight years ago when his smash ballad "The Car" impacted in '95, transporting him to the top of the charts, sweeping the ACM 'Video Of The Year' into the Carson win column in '96, and careening him into the radar of radio, the industry, and a legion of new fans. Coming off an across the boards #1 with "Not On Your Love," "The Car" seemingly put the soft-spoken Arkansas born young singer in the fast lane to superstardom. Then the hit engine stalled. A mid '90's career chart slump made the checkered flag of victory, temporarily at least, only a bittersweet memory. But, as it's now being proven you just can't keep a good man in the pits!
In 'REAL LIFE,' as in country music, Jeff Carson savored the sweet success of being back in the race, leading the competition, with a re-born hit presence at radio, thanks to the stunning impact of his single 'REAL LIFE'. Request phones rang off the wall for the poignant, sentimental song driving it into the top 10 in November of 2001.
While Jeff is in many ways a veteran of the music industry, he knows that it takes hard work to duplicate those early successes. Over the past few years, he has been honing his craft as a songwriter. "I've got some writing that I'm real proud of, but I'm probably harder on myself than anybody when it comes to really liking songs I write," Jeff says. "To me, I'd like to have other artists cut some of my songs. That's really flattering." Recently, Jeff got that chance when Kenny Rogers cut, "Until Forever's Gone," a song co-written with Jim Weatherly. "It has a theme like "Not On Your Love" it says, 'I'll be there for you no matter what.'" Of course, it is one of those power ballads. I think there's nothing better than a good, strong ballad to sell a message."
The writing he's done in the last couple of years has a decided maturity that is distinctive from his earlier work, and he's finding it even more satisfying. "The writing is really starting to click for me," Jeff says. "Sometimes I write a song and everything just falls into place." As for songwriting, the ideas for those songs come when he's far from the fast-paced streets of Music Row. "If I have a dry spell, I know I can always find inspiration when I go hunting or fishing. There's nothing like getting up in a tree stand with dead silence for hours. With no distractions and that kind of serenity, I get a lot of ideas," Jeff says.
But to Jeff's credit, he's kept his eyes on the prize of country music success. "With every song I write, and every stage performance, I try to do better than I did before," says Jeff, who gets a lot of encouragement from his wife of 13 years, Kim, who is also his road manager.
Along the way, he tries to establish lasting relationships in an industry that is often volatile and changing. "I think a lot of people will tell you how down to earth I am," Jeff says with more than a little of his native Arkansas accent in his voice. "I always treat people like I would like to be treated."
Likely he would've made a good policeman, which was his first professional choice, beginning in the third grade. "I loved wearing that badge and monitoring the playground," he says. "I still sometimes do ride-along's with the police. I have a lot of respect for their courage and their brotherhood." Those are qualities he also respects in the hard work of his colleagues in the music business, and he recognizes that they're all competing for the same audience, which is one that is looking for entertainment value. Because of Jeff's interest in police work, he was named one of the Spokespersons for The Slain Police Officers Association for 2001-2002 and has been involved in several memorial events for officers since the September 11 tragedy.
On a musical note, "The first concert I ever went to was Merle Haggard in Springfield, Missouri, in the early '80s," Jeff says. "He's still at it, and I still admire him." Jeff would like to have the longevity of Haggard or George Jones or even the more contemporary George Strait. He's already logged quite a few years of performance time.
After he entered and won a talent contest in Rogers, Arkansas, the owner of the variety show venue approached him with a job offer. He immediately began performing "at least six or seven nights a week in the summer. I'd do that from 8-10 every night, then I'd go to work driving a forklift in a plant that processed frozen chickens."
When he got to Nashville a few years later, he immediately got work performing in clubs at the Opryland Hotel. "Believe it or not, I never had to wait tables," Jeff laughs. But he would if he had to, because that's the kind of work ethic he has. "I don't take anything for granted. I had a couple of No. 1's," Jeff says. "I'm lucky enough that I sometimes still catch one of my songs on the radio. Or sometimes I spot somebody in an audience, and I can see them singing along with every word. There's no greater feeling." Well, it won't be long until the audience will be singing along to some new songs as they welcome Carson back to the top of the charts where he belongs.
For Jeff Carson, it's a feeling that he doesn't get from entitlement, but from hard work at the craft he loves. Nothing pleases him more than to earn it. Jeff has spent the past year writing and looking for songs to complete his fourth album for Curb Records. Veteran producer, Paul Worley, (Sara Evans, Martina McBride, Trace Adkins, Dixie Chicks) will produce Jeff's album and recording should begin in early 2003 with a spring 2003 single release. jeffcarson.net
