Who's Playing at the Fair?

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The Dawson County Fair Board is pleased to announce Jason Michael Carroll as the headliner for the night show to be held August 14 during the county fair.  Opening for JMC will be Nashville Star’s Charley Jenkins.   A must-see evening for the entire family, every age, every walk of life, these fine talents are the perfect meld of today’s new country and the core values of country music.   

The key to Jason Michael Carroll’s success is evident in every note he sings. The passion and sincerity in his voice is the talent that brought this son of a preacher from the Carolinas to national attention. Whether it’s the empathy brought to bear on the tragedy of “Alyssa Lies,” the pure passion of “Livin’ Our Love Song” or the youthful exuberance of “I Can Sleep When I’m Dead,” Carroll knows how to connect with fans, and together with hard work, undeniable talent, and good looks, that connection has launched one of country’s most impressive young careers.

Now, with the release of his album, Growing Up Is Getting Old, he takes his career a big step forward. The first single, “Where I’m From,” could have come from the pages of his life. “No matter where life carries you, and it carries us in all different directions, if you boil it down to the nuts and bolts of it, most of us are really the same,” he says.  Its authenticity is ideal to an album that finds Carroll digging deeper creatively and solidifying his place in country music. “You have a responsibility to your fans,” he says, “not only to record songs that are hits but also to record songs that mean something to you and convey to your fans who you are.”

His career aptly depicts Carroll as country’s Gen-Y family man, reflecting his generation’s transition from party to parenthood, and able to fully express the joys inherent in both worlds and the tensions that can come in moving from unencumbered freedom to the responsibilities of home and hearth. A husband and father, Carroll sings eloquently about both sides of the equation in songs that recognize the firm foundation that country roots and a sense of community provide in a fast-moving world.  Jason Michael sees himself in songs like the title cut of his new album, of which he says, “I don’t think there’s a truer statement out there right now, especially to a father of four who tries to get home as much as I do and who travels as much as I do.”

He quickly learned how his music could truly affect lives, with fans regularly approaching him with stories of the impact that “Alyssa Lies” or “Livin’ Our Love Song” had on them.
“My songs speak so much to so many people,” he says. “I really can’t take for granted what I’m doing, and I thank God every day I have the chance to keep doing it.”
He is especially thrilled with the RIAA Gold Mastertone certification of “Livin’ Our Love Song,” recognizing sales of 500,000 ringtones and ringbacks. “Standing in line at a bank or at a fast food restaurant and hearing somebody’s phone ringing and it’s my song, that’s pretty cool,” he says.


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The Pro Rodeo Sports News calls Charley Jenkins “The Real Deal”.  In their 3/20/09 article they write: “The cowboy hat and buckle worn by country singer Charley Jenkins are real. They’re not just for show to help him get gigs.”  The Utah cowboy wishes he had more time to team rope today.  “I never thought I would be in the arena that often singing and not rodeoing”, he told the PSN. 

Jenkins’ music and style emulates the influences of both George Strait and Chris LeDoux. 
He moved to Nashville as a performer and writer on Music Row in 2001, but his father’s terminal cancer brought him back to the farm.  He clearly expresses those last times with his dad as two of the best months in his life.  That inspired him to write the song “Hero at Home”, which he later sang at the “Nashville Star” auditions.  He was a finalist on the popular reality show.

When Jenkins sings “Rodeo Clown” and “Yippi-Ki-Yi-Yo” – songs he also wrote – he knows what he is talking about.     He brings with him a talented, hard hitting band that will thrill even the toughest country music critic.  And what doesn’t bring you to your feet will melt your heart if he happens to throw in an Elvis song just to swoon you over the edge.

You can learn more about Jason Michael Carroll and Charley Jenkins on the web at www.jasonmichaelcarroll.com and www.charleyjenkins.com

Tickets will go on sale soon, so plan for a great evening of great music for the whole family.   For more information you can call the fair office at 377-6781, Connie Hilger at 989-0686, or become a fan of the Dawson County Fair on Facebook.