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| Jewell to ‘star’ at Fulton festival |
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Posted: Friday, September 19, 2008 9:14 pm
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A concert by country music star Buddy Jewell will round out this weekend’s inaugural Fulton Railroad Heritage Days Festival.
Jewell will take the stage at 8 p.m. Saturday at Pontotoc Park in downtown Fulton for a free concert.
Born to a working-class family in Arkansas, Jewell has been singing for his supper since the age of 21, from Texas to Tennessee, according to his bio. He has also been a nightclub bouncer, worked as a door-to-door salesman, driven a beer truck and labored on a loading dock. He is described as a husband, a father and a “man’s man.”
The year that followed his win on “Nashville Star” was truly a dream fulfilled for Jewell. He earned major award nominations from the Academy of Country Music for Best New Artist, the Country Music Association for the Horizon Award, a CMT Flameworthy Breakout Video nod and a Grammy nomination for his participation on the country gospel compilation album “Amazing Grace III.”
He also won critical acclaim from ABC Radio Network for their 2003 Listener’s Choice Award for New Artist of the Year and Music Row magazine’s Critic’s Pick Award. But perhaps his proudest moment was in April 2005 when he was honored by the National Fatherhood Initiative as a recipient of its annual Fatherhood Award. Recipients of this award are individuals who exemplify the ideals of involved, responsible and committed fatherhood.
Jewell was mainly raised in Osceola, Ark., a small agricultural/industrial community in northeast Arkansas. That’s not far from Dyess, where his mother and father grew up with Johnny Cash. Both of his parents were musical and there were stacks of classic country records around the house. His Uncle Clyde taught Jewell to play guitar around age 15.
While in college, he began to perform in clubs and talent contests, igniting his passion for writing and singing country music.
Jewell’s first son, Buddy III, came along in 1989 while he was living in Dallas. In 1990, he landed a job singing at Six Flags Over Texas. But that show wanted him to cut his hair, so he quickly took a role in the park’s cowboy/gunfight production instead. At night, he continued to sing in clubs. In 1991, he entered a talent contest sponsored by the group Alabama, which led to his opening for the band in concert.
The following year, he competed on TV’s “Star Search,” winning Male Vocalist on several episodes. He was making progress but finally realized that if he was going to get anywhere musically, the family would have to move to Nashville.
In between working-stiff jobs, Jewell began to make contacts on Music Row. His larger-than-life voice eventually made him one of Nashville’s most popular “demo” singers — an anonymous vocalist hired to record a demonstration of a song that is then played for a star’s consideration. George Strait’s “Write This Down,” Lee Ann Womack’s “A Little Past Little Rock,” Clay Walker’s “You’re Beginning to Get to Me” and Gary Allan’s “The One” were all first sung as Buddy Jewell demos. He has recorded more than 4,000 such tapes. In 1997 alone, Jewell sang 663 song demos.
But he yearned for something more. Jewell became increasingly frustrated as he was turned down for a recording contract by one label after another on Music Row. One offer evaporated when the interested label shut down. Another one vanished when the label was sold. He kept on patiently singing demos with dignity, slowly letting his recording contract dream die. Daughter Lacey came along in 1993 and second son Joshua was born in 2000.
Encouraged by a church friend and his wife, Tené, Jewell entered the USA Network’s contest “Nashville Star” in 2003. More than 8,000 performers tried out for the show; 125 of them made it to the semi-finals and 12 were chosen for the nine-week series. The national television audience reacted powerfully to Jewell’s heart-in-throat vocal performances and voted him the champion. Columbia Records rushed him into the studio with producer Clint Black and, within weeks, Jewell delivered his debut CD.
Jewell has also become one of Nashville’s most visible charity volunteers. He has been the spokesman for the Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation, frequently does events for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, participates in the Angel Tree fund drive, performed on the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon, volunteered for Compassion International and is active in a number of other causes locally and nationally.
“I see this as an opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. And maybe that is really what my purpose as an artist is. If they want me, I’ll do my best to be there to hopefully make a difference, especially if kids are involved,” Jewell said.
“I’m the same guy I’ve always been. Same house. Same car. But the car is paid off now, and hopefully in another year the house will be, too. We’re doing little things, fixing it up one room at a time. Only one thing has changed: I’m having the time of my life,” he added.
Festival events
Fulton’s first-ever Railroad Heritage Days Festival officially opened Thursday with a variety of activities for adults and children. The evening’s entertainment included a railroad kiddie parade, a bean supper, a greased pig contest and gospel music performances by The Kingdomaires and The Tibbs Family.
Today, the festival kicked off with Parkway Regional Hospital’s health fair from 8 a.m. to noon at the Pontotoc Community Center in downtown Fulton. Food vendors opened there at 9 this morning, the same time as the Postcard Tour of the Twin Cities began at First State Bank and the same time as the public viewing of a photography contest got under way at Fulton Public Library. A barbecue cookoff began at noon today downtown.
Later today, activities will include a model train display from 1-7 p.m. at the Pontotoc Community Center; a hat/bonnet contest at 2 p.m. at the Senior Citizens Center next to Pontotoc Park; a children’s art exhibit from 4-6 at Pontotoc Community Center; the Amazing Marlo Magic Show at 4:30 at Pontotoc Park; the Fulton Idol Contest at 5 at Pontotoc Park; Sammy Servo the Robot at 5:15 at the park; a performance by Randy Moore and the Fabulous Suedes at 8 tonight at the stage in Pontotoc Park; and the announcement of the winners of the barbecue cookoff at 10 p.m. at the park stage.
A full slate of activities is planned for Saturday in downtown Fulton on the festival’s final day.
At 7 a.m., a 5K run will be held downtown and car show registration will begin downtown. Food vendors will open their booths at 9 a.m. and the viewing of a photography contest will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 12:30 p.m. at the Fulton Public Library. The car show will begin at 10 a.m.
A model train display — fitting for the festival’s theme — will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Pontotoc Community Center in the park.
The Amazing Marlo Magic Show will be presented at 10 a.m. at the park, followed by Sammy Servo the Robot at 10:30 and a pet show at 11.
House of Prayer Family Life Center nearby on State Line Road will be the site of a puppet show at 11:30 a.m. and the barbecue cookoff winners will be announced at the park at 11:30.
Sammy Servo the Robot will perform again at noon at the park, followed by the children’s cookie bake-off at 1 p.m., the Amazing Marlo Magic Show at 2, Sammy Servo again at 2:30, train story time at 3, an auction of the cookie bake-off entries at 3 and the announcement of the car show winners at 4. The children’s art exhibit will again be open for public viewing from 4-6 p.m. at the Pontotoc Community Center.
The cemetery walk, an historical event, will start at 4 p.m. at Fairview Cemetery, with activities at the park to continue with a performance of the Amazing Marlo Magic Show at 4 and Sammy Servo the Robot at 4:30.
The grand parade will start at 6 p.m. Saturday in downtown Fulton, followed by Woody Woodruff’s cowboy poet performance at 7, the Fulton Idol winner’s performance at 7:30 and, finally, Jewell’s concert at 8.
Published in The Messenger 9.19.08
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