Buddy Jewell

Buddy Jewell Jr. was born on April 2, 1961, in Lepanto, Arkansas. His musical journey began early, learning guitar from a schoolmate and later from his father and uncle. By age 15, he was self-taught on songs like Johnny Cash’s “I Still Miss Someone.” After graduating from Osceola High School, he attended Arkansas State University, majoring in television and radio. He later relocated to Camden, Arkansas, at 21, to pursue music, joining the band White Oak as lead singer for four years. Following this, he moved to Dallas, Texas, where he participated in a gunfighting show at Six Flags over Texas and won a singing competition sponsored by Alabama, earning an opening slot for the band.

Jewell further developed his skills by competing on ‘Star Search,’ where he won Male Vocalist on multiple episodes. In 1993, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and by 1995, he became a demo singer, recording over 5,000 demos. His work included demos for “Write This Down” for George Strait, “A Little Past Little Rock” for Lee Ann Womack, “The One” for Gary Allan, and “You’re Beginning to Get to Me” for Clay Walker. He also released independent albums, “One in a Row” in 2001 and “Far Enough Away” in 2002. In 1999, he provided vocals for the track “I’m a Cowboy” on comedian Bill Engvall’s album “Dorkfish” and appeared in its music video.

The significant turning point in Jewell’s career arrived in 2003 when he won the first season of the USA Network’s talent show ‘Nashville Star.’ This victory led to a recording contract with Columbia Records Nashville. His debut single, “Help Pour Out the Rain (Lacey’s Song),” released shortly after his win, became the highest-debuting single by a new country artist since 1990, reaching number three on the country charts and 29 on the pop charts. His self-titled debut album, produced by Clint Black, achieved Gold certification from the RIAA, selling 500,000 copies, and featured another number three country hit, “Sweet Southern Comfort.” His second album for Columbia, “Times Like These,” was released in 2005, with the single “If She Were Any Other Woman” reaching number 27. After parting ways with Columbia, Jewell continued to release music independently, including “Country Enough” (2008) and “I Surrender All” (2011), with “Somebody Who Would Die For You” reaching number one on the Christian Charts. In 2015, he signed with Lamon Records, releasing “My Father’s Country,” a collection of classic country songs, and was inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame. His EP “Reloaded” (2017) included the number one Christian Country hit “I’m There.” His most recent albums include “Shine On” (2019) and “Bluebonnet Highway” (2020).