Jason Rogers Country Music

Article Date: 9/22/09
Source: Bugle Observer – By Shawn Merrithew – CanadaEast Interactive, Brunswick News Inc.

A Wicklow musician is sitting on top of the country music world.

Since he was young, Jason Rogers has always dreamed of becoming a country music star and carving his name in the industry.

Earlier this year, Rogers – who now resides in Nashville – produced and released his first self-titled album and was featured as a rising star in Country Weekly magazine in June.

Now, the 32-year-old singer-songwriter is entering the next chapter of his music career by signing his first major record deal with Cashbox Records, owned by Cashbox Magazine.

Rogers said he is thrilled about the record deal.

“I’m pretty happy because I have worked hard to get here,” Rogers said.

Besides making more CDs, Rogers pointed out his new record deal includes tour dates, having a booking agent and lots of public relations for his self-produced album.

“Before I was doing it all myself,” Rogers explained. “I’ve done well for what I’m capable of, (but) it is nice to have a team of people helping you instead doing everything. I’m excited because it gives me the ability to do the things I wanted to do.”

He pointed out it is a big step in his musical career as Cashbox is considered one of the Big Three music charts world wide, and his single It Ain’t Bragging will be featured on the Top 40.

“I’ll be debuting on Cashbox’s Top 40 chart,” Rogers added. “It will probably be 38th or 39th on the list.”

It Ain’t Braggin’ debuted at 39 on the Top 40 Country Singles.

Since Cashbox Records is a big industry player – despite taking a few years hiatus in 1996 – Rogers said, signing on adds more credit to his music and gets it out there to be heard. It will certainly add to his growing popularity, he added, and make his face known worldwide.

“I like that it is one of the biggest and historical names in the industry,” Rogers said. “And I’m glad the magazine is coming back. They are making the first hardcopy of the commemorative version right now which will be their comeback magazine, and I will be in it too. Cashbox is a worldwide well-known name and has been since 1942. It was one of the magazines people bought to get into music. So it is a good thing (to be apart of it).”

But the deal didn’t happen overnight.

Rogers said he spent four months in talks with Cashbox president Bruce Elrod before he signed the dotted line. He liked the fact Elrod never gave up on him, Rogers said. The rising star said Elrod told him he brought a fresh sound to Nashville, especially in an age where many new country artists are starting to all sound the same and there is no distinction.

“The reason he picked up on me was he liked the sound of my voice,” Rogers said. “He said ‘your voice is different, it is not the typical deep, strong country voice.’ There are a lot of deep-country singers, but I probably got a little tenor in me that I keep down. But I can probably go higher than have been doing.”

One of the biggest things about the deal, which appealed to Rogers, he said, was the touring, particularly in Canada, although he expects he will tour around the globe.

“I’m excited about that because I have always wanted to tour Canada, and that is a big deal to me,” he explained. “It means a lot, but I’d prefer to do it (touring) in the summer months.”

Another key element of the deal, he pointed out was he would retain fully creative control of his music. That is a rarity in country music today, he said, noting Taylor Swift is one of the few artists in the industry who has full creative control.

“You want to work with someone who will let you make your songs,” Rogers said. “When someone starts telling you how to sing and what to sing, it can change you to a point where you are not you anymore. I like to be a part of my own music. I picked the songs I picked out of several hundred songs. It is tough to pick them anyway, but I don’t need four or more other people’s minds doing it with me.

“I do listen to other people’s advice, but I like control of my destiny,” Rogers added.

With his music career now rolling with Cashbox Records, Rogers expects it will gain more momentum November with tour dates and more airtime for his first single and his other tracks. From there, he plans to release a second CD, though he has no fixed date.

“Once you see me starting, you won’t see me stopping until I’m well into my 40s,” Rogers said with a chuckle.

By Shawn Merrithew