MOUNT VERNON — Up-and-coming country music stars Jason Michael Carroll and Jake Owen will be the featured entertainment at the 2008 Knox County Fair. The pair will perform on Friday, July 25, at 8 p.m. at the grandstand.
Carroll, 28, is a singer/songwriter from North Carolina. He hit the charts with his debut single, “Alyssa Lies,” which eventually moved up to No. 5 on the Hot Country Single chart.
Carroll followed up his debut single with another top 10 song, “Livin’ Our Love Song,” and his most recent release, “I Can Sleep When I’m Dead,” is moving up the charts. He also co-wrote “No Good in Goodbye” with Jewel.
His 2006 debut album, “Waitin’ In The Country,” hit No. 1 on the Top Country Album charts and has been certified gold with more than 500,000 in sales.
Carroll is the son of a North Carolina preacher where he was not allowed to listen to “secular music.” He began working in a motor shop where he was introduced to popular music, including country. He entered and won a local “Gimme the Mic” competition and caught the attention of a band manager. Pretty soon a deal with Arista Nashville followed and Carroll released his debut album in 2006.
Owen had planned on becoming a professional golfer from the age of 12, but a waterskiing accident led him down a different path. He picked up a guitar and was soon playing at clubs in northern Florida. Just nine hours short of graduation, he moved to Nashville, aiming for a shot as a country music star. Less than two years later, the 24-year-old had a recording deal and a debut album, “Startin’ With Me,” on the way.
The debut album was a success, climbing all the way to No. 8 on the Country Albums chart. The title track rose all the way to No. 6 on the singles’ chart, and he’s added two other top 40 hits from the album, “Something About a Woman” and “Yee Haw.”
Prior to reaching his own record deal, the singer/songwriter nearly had one of his songs recorded by country music star Kenny Chesney. Chesney was unable to fit it on his album, so Owen added “Ghost” to his album.
Tickets for the show are available by calling 397-0484.
