Covering the country with Jason Michael Carrol

It's a Thursday afternoon, and country music star Jason Michael Carroll sits in a crowded airport in California, waiting for his flight to Nashville, Tenn. He talks above the noisy intercoms and airport chatter to explain his life as a traveling musician away from his friends and family most nights.

"I have four babies, and being out here on the road away from them is the hardest," Carroll said. "I draw a lot of inspiration being out here and doing the best I can to get a better life for my kids."

He has many accomplishments to prove himself to the country music scene, winning Billboard's top new country artist in 2007 and R&R country male of the year. He has had top 5 hits such as, "Alyssa Lies" and "Livin' Our Love Song," and has a music video on CMT and GAC.

Carroll was born in North Carolina to a preacher and spent years listening to only Christian music.

He sang with the church choir and can remember watching his parents sing in church also. "I grew up knowing that [music] was something I really wanted to get into."

As a teenager, he started to branch out and listen to country music on the radio with his friends.

"When I was 15 years old, my dad wouldn't let me listen to anything but gospel. He got upset when he found a tape of Billy Ray Cyrus' 'Achy Breaky Heart' in my room."

Carroll laughs about it now and said life is reciprocal, because 15 years later he broke records that Cyrus broke in 1992.

In 2007, his album "Waitin' in the Country" debuted at No. 8 on Billboard's Top 200 music chart, which hadn't happened to any new male country star since Cyrus.

"It's cool to connect things from your life and see how they keep coming back around," Carroll said.

Recently, Carroll paired with NASCAR's Nationwide series driver Scott Wimmer on a new series called "Drafting Partners."

"I am a huge NASCAR fan, so to have a chance to work with them directly in my form of entertainment [country music] as well, was a great idea for a show."

Carroll is touring with country sensation Carrie Underwood for her "Carnival Ride Tour." On Sunday, the tour will be at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.

Carroll said opening for Underwood is an honor, but it comes with a responsibility.

"It's an honor that she trusts us with her first tour. We are going to be the ones to warm up the audience, and we'll be onstage performing for a group of folks who may or may not know who we are," Carroll said. "With only about 30 minutes to convey myself to the crowd, I am going to use that time to its fullest and make the most of it."

Carroll said one way he will do that is just by being himself. "When you're yourself to the crowd it really shows through to your fans," he said.

Playing songs that are important to him is another way that he expresses himself. "I have always prided myself on never playing a song that didn't mean something to me."

Carroll continues to work hard and said he is appreciative of his career thus far. "We've been really lucky at the opportunities we've had and our hard work has been paying off."

To purchase tickets for Jason Michael Carroll and Carrie Underwood at the Show Me Center, visit www.showmecenter.biz/.

— By Cherish West