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Jeffrey Lee Herndon (born December 16, 1963 in Tulsa, Oklahoma), known professionally as Jeff Carson, is an American country music artist. Originally a session musician in Branson, Missouri and later a demo singer, he was signed to Curb Records in 1995, releasing his self-titled debut album that year, followed by Butterfly Kisses in 1998 and Real Life in 2002. He has charted fourteen singles on the Billboard country charts, including the Number One hit "Not on Your Love", the Top Ten hits "The Car" and "Holdin' Onto Somethin'" and the Top 20 "Real Life (I Never Was the Same Again)." Carson retired from music in 2009 and became a police officer.

Biography

Jeff Carson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and raised in Gravette, Arkansas.^[2] In his childhood, he played harmonica and guitar and sang in church. In high school, he and some high school friends formed a band. They won second place at a local talent show for performing the song "Seven Bridges Road".^[2] After graduating, he moved on to another talent competition held at a park in Rogers, Arkansas. The winner of that competition then asked Carson to play in his band, which he did for four years until the band split up.^[2]

Carson later moved on to Branson, Missouri, where he found work playing bass guitar in local bands, in addition to writing songs.^[3] While in Branson, he met his then-future wife, who persuaded him to move to Nashville, Tennessee, which he did in 1989.^[2] In Nashville, he found work at a band which played at the Opryland Hotel, before convincing the hotel to book him as a solo act.^[2] Carson eventually recorded demos for other artists, before he was discovered by record producer Chuck Howard in 1994, and signed to Curb Records.^[2][3]

Music career

Carson's debut single, "Yeah Buddy", was released in late 1994, peaking at #69 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It was followed by "Not on Your Love", which became his only Number One later that year.^[2] Both singles were included on his debut album, also titled Jeff Carson, which produced two more Top Ten hits in "The Car" (#3) and "Holdin' Onto Somethin'" (#8), the latter of which was previously recorded by John Michael Montgomery. Between these two singles was a Christmas release called "Santa Got Lost in Texas" (#70), and after "Holdin' Onto Somethin'" came the album's final single, the #62-peaking "That Last Mile."

Carson released his second album in 1997. Entitled Butterfly Kisses, this album produced four singles, none of which reached top 40. First was "Do It Again" at #55, followed by the album's title track, which was also a Number One Adult Contemporary hit and minor country hit for Bob Carlisle as well as a Top 40 pop and country hit for the Raybon Brothers the same year. "Here's the Deal" and "Cheatin' on Her Heart" followed, at #64 and #52 respectively.^[1] This album also included an alternate mix of "Butterfly Kisses" which combined elements of labelmate Kippi Brannon's then-current single "Daddy's Little Girl", as well as a duet with Merle Haggard on a rendition of his hit "Today I Started Loving You Again."^[3]

His eleventh single, "Shine On," was released in 1998. After it, too, failed to reach Top 40, Carson's third album was repeatedly delayed. "Scars and All" did not reach the country charts, but was a Number One on the PowerSource Christian charts. Following it in 2001 was his first Top 40 country single in five years, "Real Life (I Never Was the Same Again)." This song reached #14 at the end of the year,^[1] and was followed by the release of his third studio album, also called Real Life. In 2002, Carson suffered a broken vertebra in a sledding accident at home. Although he briefly spent some time in a body cast, he was not seriously injured.^[4] Another single from Real Life, entitled "Until We Fall Back in Love Again," peaked at #46.

Carson charted again in 2003 with his cover of the Christian pop hit "I Can Only Imagine", a cut from a multi-artist compilation called God Bless the USA 2003. He also co-wrote the track "Where Has My Hometown Gone" on Craig Morgan's album I Love It, as well as Elbert West's single "Kimberly Cooper's Eyes". A duet with Lisa Brokop entitled "God Save the World", released in 2005, also failed to chart. His most recent single, "When You Said You Loved Me", was sent to radio in early 2007, as the lead-off single to an upcoming Greatest Hits package. The single failed to chart, however, and his Greatest Hits album was canceled. In February 2009, Carson retired from the music business and joined the Franklin, Tennessee police force as a full-time police officer.^[5]

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Other charted songs

Music videos

References

External links

• Official website
• Jeff Carson at MySpace