Singer is Jewell in the rough

After insiders told him he was missing something, he hit it big with TV viewers.
By BRAD BARNES
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Don't think Buddy Jewell's story is a hard-luck tale about pounding the Nashville streets.
Sure, he had to sell cable television door-to-door before he got his break. He washed cars. He cleaned lavatories. He telemarketed.
But among all those crummy day jobs was a stint as a gunfighter at a Six Flags stunt show. So, between gunslinger and pop star, by age 42 he's realized two of the dreams of young boys everywhere.
And that's a fact he's aware of.
"I know God loves us all, but I think he's got a little something extra for me," Jewell said, chuckling.
It's Jewell's recent success in the music business that's truly convinced him how blessed he is. "Help Pour Out the Rain," his debut single, went to No. 3 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart, and his eponymous debut album went to No. 1.
The sales and radio play came in spite of the fact that his sound is a throwback to artists who were charting a quarter of a century ago -- and that his record even got made was practically a fluke.
Naysayers
Jewell had been toiling as a demo tape singer, recording 500 songs a year for other songwriters ("It was bread on the table, that's for sure," he said. "And beans sometimes too"). All the while, he was being told he was missing something that could make him a star on his own.
He was maybe a little thick in the middle. Or lacked the sex appeal of the ideal modern country star. Or, doggone it, he was just too nice. To borrow a phrase from reality TV, he was missing the X-factor.
Using reality TV vernacular seems appropriate with Jewell, since he proved the Nashville executives wrong by winning the title on USA Network's "Nashville Star" competition, which in turn led to the smash debut on Columbia Records.
Lots of country stars talk about remembering their roots once they're famous. But whether it's the way he pays tribute to his musical forefathers or, doggone it, he's just so nice, you get the feeling that Jewell truly will remain true to the little people along the way.
Case in point: When he found out that a scheduled theme park concert in Valdosta, Ga., would take him to the place where his old stunt show boss was now working, he made plans to get in the show again.
It's not a dangerous act, Jewell said, but it would require good timing.
"It's mostly loud and smelly. Nobody falls off any tall buildings, but there's a lot of sight gags," he said.
"I'm going to have to hide in the crowd and watch the show a few times," he said. "I'm supposed to be incognito. But I got a feeling my friends won't let that last too long."