Before he was old enough to drive, country singer Jordan Carter’s parents would help him load equipment into a box trailer and haul him hundreds of miles to personal appearances.Even at an early age, he captivated audiences with outstanding vocals on cover songs made popular by big stars like Randy Travis and Johnny Cash.Countless youngsters have fallen in love with country music through the years. They sing obsessively in grade school and on into high school and may even win a few local contests. However, the flame burns out for most wannabe crooners in the mid-teens as the focus shifts to dating, cars and finding a job to support the newly discovered extracurricular activities.A very select few singers keep plugging away. They form a band and start to build a fan base. After high school, many musical warriors fade out of sight as they start a family or their interests change once they dive into higher education.At this point, there are very few local singers that are still willing to make the necessary commitment to become a country music star. The big step is having the faith and courage to relocate to Nashville — the Mecca of country music — leaving family and friends behind.Jordan Carter has made the move.The 24-year old Bluford native packed his bags and headed south down Interstate 57 nearly a year ago. He works 16 hours a day, seven days a week, developing contacts in the industry and learning the craft.“When people ask me where I’m from, I tell them Nashville. This is my new home and I’m here to stay,” he said. “It’s very hard to break into this business from long distance. I tried it for four years. I finally realized I had to get down here and get in the mix.“Signing a record deal is the ultimate goal, but I try to learn new things every day that will help me get to that point. I love playing my guitar, singing and entertaining. I’m in it for the long haul. I am going to make it happen, one way or another.”Carter has made incredible progress in the past few years. His early recording efforts were amateur sounding. And the material was predominately covers. The quality of newer material is much better. He is narrowing the gap between himself and major acts like Josh Turner and Trace Adkins.Songs like “John Deere Letter,” “Let It Rain,” “Hard, Hard, Hard” and “If Money Does the Talking” are all posted on his MySpace page and each has amazingly received between 282,000 and 660,000 plays. A lot of people are listening to the rich baritone voice of this talented singer. His new independent single, “Daddy Never Had a Chance in Hell,” was recently released to radio.Carter will be performing from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday at Mack’s Marina at Lake of Egypt. Admission is free.Growing up, Carter was a regular at The Kentucky Opry in Draffenville, where he received The People’s Choice Award for being the most popular act of the season. He also built a huge fan base in central Illinois with his work for the North American Country Music Association International. He collected 13 major awards from the group, including Top Male Entertainer, Top Male Vocalist and Top Traditional Song.With a powerful traditional sound, it’s easy to identify the influences of iconic figures like Merle Haggard, George Jones, Ernest Tubb and Hank Williams Jr. and Sr., but he also lists the music of Bob Dylan and Hank Thompson as shaping his current sound.“I’ll be playing a lot of the new stuff Friday night,” Carter says. “My style leans towards stone-cold country music. I like to compare it to Hank Williams Jr. or Johnny Cash. We stick pretty close to the roots.”Carter covered three classic Cash tunes on his independent compact disc “Chances,” including “Ring Of Fire,” “Ghost Riders In The Sky” and “Understand Your Man.” His dedication to The Man in Black earned him a spot performing June 10 at the Exit/In in Nashville at the Johnny Cash Bash.Since making the pilgrimage to Music City, Carter said he has made numerous contacts that have been vital to his career development.“I’m getting to know a lot of songwriters and they are teaching me how to improve my writing skills,” he said. “When I first came down, I was lucky enough to meet the right people. They got me pointed in the right direction. I’m concentrating right now on creating original material.”Carter said the plan is to accumulate a large volume of high quality original tunes and have them ready for presentation when opportunity knocks.
VINCE HOFFARD can be reached at 618-658-9095 or vincehoffard@yahoo.comRead more:
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