Buddy Jewell Coming to Castlewood

Along the comeback trail rides Buddy Jewell.
Remember him? He won USA Network’s “Nashville Star” in 2003, signed with Columbia Records, hit it big with two albums and then seemingly vanished.
Consider Jewell’s appearance on Sept. 11 at the Russell County Fair in Castlewood, Va., as one more step back to the spotlight.
He’s accustomed to such plights. For years, Jewell sang demo recordings, sort of road-map recordings of newly written songs subsequently pitched to recording artists.
“I sang more than 4,000 demos,” Jewell said by phone on Tuesday from his home in Nashville, Tenn. “Some of the big hits that I sang demos on were ‘Write This Down’ for George Strait and ‘The One,’ which was a hit for Gary Alan.”
Then, cable channel USA Network came along with “Nashville Star,” country’s “American Idol.” Jewell did not expect to win, said he never imagined that the American public would vote him as the winner. He simply wanted his voice heard.
“But never underestimate the American public,” Jewell said. “I went on that show thinking there’s no way I’ll win. [The other contestants] were all younger and prettier.”
And yet, win he did.
“It changed my life,” Jewell said. “I never would have gotten my start without ‘Nashville Star.’ ”
As the winner, the traditional country-leaning singer received a recording contract with Sony’s famed Columbia label. His first of two albums for Columbia yielded hits with “Help Pour Out the Rain [Lacey’s Song]” and “Sweet Southern Comfort.”
Jewell was indeed a Nashville star.
“You walk into a room and [fans are] there because you’re there,” Jewell said of tons of subsequent concerts played. “It’s a humbling experience. I guess it’s kind of like being Cinderella.”
But then, midnight struck, and Jewell’s ball seemed over.
A bolt of black darkened the baritone’s rise when Sony dropped him late in 2005 after his second album, “Times Like These.”
“There comes a time for everybody in this business when there isn’t a label that wants you. Look at Johnny Cash,” he said, referring to when Columbia dropped Cash after 25 years on the label. “When I lost my deal, that’s what helped me keep my sanity. I looked at Johnny Cash.”
Yet while Jewell works to rebound thanks to a new single on a new label, the pain of loss still cuts.
“It obviously broke my heart,” he said.
Jewell hopes to mend his heart with his magnificent new song “Somebody Who Would Die For You.” Radio stations across the country appear to be catching on.
“It’s like what Merle Haggard said, it’s real,” Jewell said of the song. “It reaches down deep and touches something that’s real.”
Now that Jewell seeks to reclaim his once-promising career after several years off the road, he said that he’s reminded of how he’s missed the road. Also, he’s reminded of missing something else, too.
“When you’re on the road, it gets awful lonely sometimes,” he said. “It’s lonely when you go back on the bus and into the bunk after a show and your wife isn’t there.”
Don’t read that incorrectly. Saddled up and reins in hand, Jewell said that he’s grateful to have another shot at success along the hillbilly highway.
“I’m so blessed,” Jewell said, “Now I’m back on the horse and ready to ride.”

TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. He can be reached at features@bristolnews.com.

IF YOU GO
What: Russell County Fair and Horse Show
When: Sept. 4-12
Where: Russell County Fairgrounds, Castlewood, Va.
Daily admission: $8 for adults, $2 for children ages 6-12 and free admission for children ages 5 and under. Admission includes entertainment.
Info: (276) 762-2261
Web: www.buddyjewell.com
Audio and video: www.new.music.yahoo.com/buddy-jewell-tracks/
Also: www.russellcountyfair.com

MUSIC SCHEDULE
Sept. 4, 7 p.m.: Skinner Family Band, Mountain Park Old Time Band and White Top Mountain Band
Sept. 5, 8 p.m.: Billy Dean
Sept. 7, 8 p.m.: Billy “Crash” Craddock
Sept. 8, 8 p.m.: Caiged Angel
Sept. 9, 8 p.m.: Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys
Sept. 10, 6:30 p.m.: Gospel night with The Cooke Brothers and Chestnut Grove Quartet
Sept. 11, 8 p.m.: Buddy Jewell
Sept. 12, 8 p.m.: Rhett Akins