Clint Black, Marty Rabon, Bellamy Brothers add their voices
By Preshias Harris
Buddy Jewell captured hearts and ears across America when he emerged as the fan-voted winner of Nashville Star’s inaugural season – ahead of second placed Miranda Lambert.
His prize included a record deal with Columbia Records and an album to be produced by country superstar Clint Black, as he recounted in an interview with me at Center Stage Mag here.
The self-titled album quickly earned Gold certification, and the debut single, “Help Pour Out the Rain,” became the highest-debuting single by a new country artist since Nielsen SoundScan began tabulating charts.
The second single from that self-titled album was “Sweet Southern Comfort” penned by Rodney Clawson and Brad Crisler, released in October 2003, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks the following year.
Celebrating the song’s twentieth anniversary, Jewell has now recorded a new version of the hit song and he invited some famous friends to join him on the track: Clint Black, Marty Rabon of Shenandoah and the Bellamy Brothers.
I caught up with Buddy Jewell during Country Radio Seminar in March and he told me the story behind the original 2003 recording and why Clint Black had to be part of the new version too.
Jewell has certainly earned his place in the spotlight, recording 5,000 demos as an in-demand demo singer for ten years before the Nashville Star opportunity came along. But when he could finally record his own albums, “singing all those demos really helped a lot,” he told me.
Read my full interview with Buddy Jewell at Center Stage Mag here.
Preshias Harris is an advocate for songwriters and a music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com @PreshiasHarris #PreshiasHarris
My column, ‘Inside Track on Music Row,’ is the longest-running country music column in the USA. The November 2019 edition is now posted at Nashville Music Guide. You can read the full column