NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Country music star and Academy of Country Music award-winner Jeff Carson died of a heart attack at Williamson Medical Center in Franklin, Tennessee on Saturday night. He was 58 years old.
Born Jeffrey Lee Herndon in Tulsa, Oklahoma on December 16, 1963, Carson pursued a number of musical outlets, performing with bands in Arkansas and Missouri, before finding his commercial success in Nashville.
In Nashville, Carson recorded demos for many big names, including Tracy Byrd (“Walkin’ To Jerusalem”), Tracy Lawrence (“I See it Now”), Reba McEntire (“The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter”), Tim McGraw (“I Wouldn’t Want It Any Other Way”), Faith Hill (“It Matters To Me”), Mark Wills (“Places I’ve Never Been”) and Diamond Rio (“Mirror Mirror”) among others.
In 1995, Curb Records signed Carson and he quickly achieved his first charting radio single in the form of a hit titled "Yeah Buddy." It was soon followed up with "Not On Your Love," which reached number one.
Carson's following single, "The Car," became a top-five hit, peaking at number two and winning him his first Academy of Country Music award for Video of the Year.
In total, Carson achieved 14 singles on the Billboard chart, including "Real Life (Was Never The Same Again)."
Carson retired from music in 2009 to become a law enforcement officer with the Franklin Police Department in Williamson County, Tennessee. He had been working on a singles deal with MC1 Nashville in 2019 to recut and release a prior Music Row Top 40 track "God Save the World."
Carson had also recently recorded a specialty album with Buddy Hyatt that will be released later this year. The album will include duets with Michael Ray, Darryl Worley, Mark Wills and Craig Morgan. More information is available on the Jeff Carson website.
It’s hard to believe he’s gone. One thing is for certain — Franklin Police Officer #JeffCarson changed everyone he met, all of us, for the better! Thank you, Jeff, for your life of service & song. May his message live on: God Save The World.https://t.co/MU3937POBy
— Franklin Police Dept (@FranklinTNPD) March 27, 2022
Carson is survived by wife Kim Cooper Carson, son Dayton Grei Herndon Carson, mother Virginia Norton, brother Steve Herndon, sister Karen Spurlock and many aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.
