Jeff Carson, who had 14 songs make it onto the Billboard’s country music charts, died Saturday in a Franklin, TN, hospital from a heart attack, his publicist said. He was 58.
Carson had hits with “Not On Your Love,” (a No. 1) and “The Car” (in the top five) before leaving the music industry and becoming a police officer. He recently started recording again and released a single in what amounted to a small comeback.
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Born Jeffrey Lee Herndon in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1963, Carson sang in church and formed a band in Rogers, Arkansas, before moving to Branson, Missouri, becoming a local attraction in the music town.
Carson then moved to Nashville and recorded demos for Tracy Lawrence, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and other country stars. He received his own recording contract at Curb Records in 1995, and released a single, “Yeah Buddy.” He then recorded the singles “Not On Your Love” and “The Car,” which won Carson his first Academy of Country Music award for video of the year.
Carson’s career had 14 singles on the Billboard chart in his career before retiring from music to become a police officer in Franklin, where he remained on the police force at the time of his death.Carson returned to music in 2019 and released a previously recorded song, “God Save The World.”Carson had been in the studio with Buddy Hyatt recording an album to be released later this year with duets with Michael Ray, Darryl Worley and others, his publicist said.No information on survivors or memorial plans was immediately available.
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