Published: July 18, 2008 09:41 am            

Carter career gains steam

By JACK CLARK

jackclark@mvn.net

MT. VERNON — Country music fans were treated to a special performance on Saturday night at the Mt. Vernon Gun and Sportsman’s Club on Lake Miller.

Twenty-one-year-old Jefferson County resident Jordan Carter and his band, The Real Deal Band, regaled the crowd for four hours, following the storms that pushed through the county that evening.

Carter, the winner of the Southern Illinois Idol competition five years ago, performs frequently, successfully integrating classic-country, blues and rock.

He has won numerous awards over the last couple of years.

“God has blessed me with a lot of things,” said Carter. “I have been able to win 12 international awards.”

At the annual Illinois State competition, Carter has been named Male Vocalist of the Year as well as Male Entertainer of the Year each of the last two years.

“Then came the international awards competition,” Carter said.

“They had people coming in from Australia, Europe, all over the world. They were coming to Pigeon Forge, Tenn. I was competing against about a thousand other people.”

Despite the heavy competition, Carter has prevailed two years in a row.

“Last year, I came out of there with seven awards. This year I came back with six,” said Carter. “At Pigeon Forge, I got Male Entertainer and Male Vocalist each of the last two years. I also got the Songwriter’s Award each year.”

Carter said that his musical roots extend back to singing in church with his parents.

“My parents were really a big influence on me,” Carter said.

“My dad played guitar and my mom sang. They were always traveling to different churches. I was always there and I would get up and sing with them.”

Carter said that his first real exposure to performing in front of a large crowd came when he auditioned for the Southern Illinois Idol competition a few years ago.

“I was a sophomore in high school when I first learned about the competition that was taking place in Mt. Vernon,” said Carter.

Carter sequestered himself in his bedroom and worked on choosing just the right song for his entry.

When he felt ready, he asked his parents to listen to his performance.

“They hadn’t heard me really sing like that,” Carter said. “They wanted to know where that voice came from.”

The song that Carter used was The Wild Side of Life by Hank Thompson.

Carter said that the impending competition gave him a case of jitters.

“Man, I was nervous. And it seemed like when I got on stage, everything went wrong,” Carter said. “The microphone went out on me and I didn’t have anywhere to plug my guitar in. But, when I was done with my song, I was ready to sing some more.”

Carter only had to sing once to convince the judges.

“I thought that I might get third or fourth place, overall,” said Carter. “I couldn’t believe it when they called out my name as the winner. That was cool.”

Carter easily recalls what he won, but he keeps it in perspective.

“I got a trophy and I got $250,” Carter said. “That’s about the most money that I’ve made in my music career so far.”

Carter has one album to his credit, Chances, which contains five covers and five Carter original tunes.

Area radio stations are currently giving airplay to Seven months and 39 days, a Carter original.

“It’s been doing pretty well out there, so far,” said Carter. “I hope to have another album out soon.

        

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