Singer has real grass-roots appeal

If you happen to be driving around Youngsville, N.C., and see a long-haired blond guy doing yard work, and he looks a lot like country star Jason Michael Carroll, chances are it will be him.

At least that's what he was doing before he called a few days ago to talk about his new CD, Growing Up Is Getting Old .

"I just took a break from mowing the grass to call you," he said.

My reply was, "Stars don't mow the grass!"

Mr. Carroll laughed and said, "You know what? One of my fondest memories of my granddaddy is when he would gripe at me every Saturday morning when I'd go to his house to mow his grass. He had bought a brand new riding lawn mower that was beautiful and sparkled in the sun.

"But he'd get so mad at me because I'd bring our push mower over and mow his entire acre and a half with the push mower because it just clears my head. So no, I don't hire anybody to do it. I like to do it myself."

Mr. Carroll's fondness for the simple things in life is what continues to grow his fan base and make his current hit single, (That's) Where I'm From, come across honest and believable.

The song is filled with touches of small-town life.

The chorus goes: "Where the quarterback dates the homecoming queen/ The trucks are Ford and the tractor is green/ And Amazing Grace is what we sing./ There's a county fair every fall/ And your friends are there no matter when you call./ Yeah, it may not sound like much/ But it's where I'm from."

Many of the articles about Mr. Carroll tell of his father, a minister, spanking him when he was 15 when he found a copy of Billy Ray Cyrus' single Achy Breaky Heart in Jason's bedroom. Who knows what he would have done had he found a copy of Playboy .

But the truth is that his father was one of his son's biggest supporters. Mr. Carroll said.

"When I started my career, he actually managed me for the first three or four years."

Mr. Carroll played in the bands Chasin' Country and Steel Kick'n throughout the Carolinas before landing his contract with Arista Nashville. Local fans have seen him open for Robert Earl Keen in the Imperial and for Trace Adkins at the University of South Carolina Aiken's Convocation Center.

His previous hits include Alyssa Lies (about child abuse) and Livin' Our Love Song .

The latter song, he says, is basically about getting back together with his teen-age sweetheart, Wendy, after his failed marriage to another woman.

"We dated for awhile in high school, and her mom and daddy found out and didn't like her dating a musician/Marine," he said. "So, they sent her away to college. And we had different people saying, 'He's no good for you' or 'She's no good for you.' Then the next thing you know, everything works out the way it's supposed to."

Don Rhodes has written about country music for 38 years. He can be reached at (706) 823-3214 or at don.rhodes@morris.com.