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If you like Dierks Bentley, you'll love Jason Lee Thomason...Top New Country Artist.

Featured Artist: Jason Lee Thomason Jason Lee Thomason was born into a home filled with music all the time, one in which he was groomed for music. After some vocal an instrumental, along with singing in his church choir, he decided it was time for something different, and that’s what we have now.

Jason Lee Thomason, a former resident of Wing and graduate of Pleasant Home School, has experienced many great things during his 32 years of life including a 13-year marriage to his high school sweetheart, the births of three boys, a forthcoming move to Nashville, Tenn., and now the upcoming release of his debut country CD. "It has been a rollercoaster ride," Thomason said. "Here I am 32 years old and I have finally worked my way up the ladder to finally do something like this. It is hard work and you have to get out there and let people see your face. It is no easy road. We have been performing for 11 years now and it feels great to see positive results." Thomason will hold a debut CD release party Fri., June 13, from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. at the Spirit of The Suwannee Music Park Music Hall in Live Oak, Fla. Those who might not be able to travel down to Florida for the event will be able to download the album from iTunes in the near future and copies may also be requested by mail via www.mysp-ace.com/jaso-nleethomason/. Thomason, originally born in Lakeland, Fla., on Aug. 9, 1975, said his musical career began during an uncomfortable solo performance during his school's Christmas cantata. "Mamie Wahl was my chorus teacher," he said. "During my sophomore year she was listening in on choir practice and she overhead me singing. She later approached me and said she wanted me to do the solo for the upcoming Christmas cantata. I did not want to, but she pretty much made me. It was my first solo. I sang 'Go Tell It On the Mountain.' It took a little while to work through my nerves, but I loved the experience." After graduation Thomason moved from Wing to Jasper, Fla., and he said his true passion for music was realized during his time in church. "After I moved, I was harmonizing with this guy at church," he said. "He asked me to sing and then invited me to sing a duet with him. That is kind of where it took off and I never looked back." Thomason continued to work in his local church, conducting song services for conferences and events. He played many instruments along the way including the guitar and the harp, but he soon realized he wanted more and an invitation from a few coworkers provided an opportunity to form a band. "I knew some guys from work who wanted to start a cover band," he said. "We started that and I started writing. People responded well to the original stuff. I also had a family and I did not want to do the bar scene anymore." Thomason said he took a one-year break from the bar scene, but soon realized he missed the joy of performing live. "I was miserable," he said. "My wife entered me into the Colgate Country Showdown in Valdosta, Ga. I won it and went to state. I got runner-up. I came to find out that the Florida locals had not been held yet. I entered the North Florida Colgate Country Showdown and won that one. I went to state again and got runner-up again. It was really the fuel that drove my desire to create the CD. We decided to do the album during the Florida Showdown." According to Thomason, he and long-time partner Tory Harris began writing songs with the intention of pursuing a career solely as songwriters, but something changed along the way. "Tory Harris started out songwriting and we were just going to pursue that, but after the North Florida Showdown took off we found out how much we loved playing live." According to Thomason his sound has "a little bit of everything." His MySpace page states "what I've been told is the country stuff sounds like: Vince Gill, Kenney Chesney, Tim McGraw and Keith Urban. The R&B stuff sounds like John Legend, Robin Thicke, etc. You'll have to be the judge." Thomason credits his family for years of inspiration and endless support in his endeavor to reach Nashville. "Me getting married and having a family was a major life-changing event," he said. "The move from Alabama to Florida was a big change. It really made me think about life. That was when the music really began to come. I was married at 19. Now I have three boys. My family is my muse to say the least. They are what inspire me to write." Thomason wrote "Southland" using the feelings surrounding what he calls a tough move from Alabama to Florida. Other songs, he said, came from the people around him. "My favorite song lyrically is a song called 'Janie,'" he said. "It was basically inspired by true events from my wife's life and my mother-in-law's life. My mother-in-law actually moved out and got married at 12 and had her first child at 14. She became a great person despite all of the opposition. Another part of the song comes from my wife. Her dad left when she was 4 years old. I put both things together and added a few fictional events to create a story. "I think that 'Let Go' hits really close to home," he added. "My wife and I went through some times when she was holding on to some things. One night I just said 'let go.' She let it all out and we became stronger." Thomason said Andalusia's radio station, WAAO, would most likely play a song that was inspired by his co-writer's daughter. The song is titled, "Rose Colored Glasses." "She just sees the world from a different perspective," he said. What is next for Jason Lee Thomason? He and his family will move to Nashville Mon., June 30, to be closer to potential opportunities. "We have signed the papers on renting a home up there," he said. "We have a lot of connections right now. We have had a little communication with MCA Records. "Right now I am going through this transition," he added. "It is a good thing and I get a good feeling about going to Nashville, but I do not have a good feeling about leaving home. I know there is a song in that and eventually we will get it onto paper." Thomason's family includes his wife of 13 1/3 years, Leonda, and three sons, 11-year-old Gabe, 9-year-old Ethan and 6-year-old Cole. Thomason's band members include keyboardist Tory Harris, drummer Chuck Burnett and guitarist Tony Cason. "Tory Harris has been with me from the beginning," Thomason said. "We have been playing and writing music together for about 12 years. Chuck Burnett has also been my drummer for that same amount of time. We have really bonded musically. It is really important to get a good sound." Thomason said anyone who dreams of making a career in music stick should be prepared to devote a great amount of time and money. "It is like an investment," he said. "To make a good investment you have to put money into it. We saved a lot of money on recording because my friend had a studio. We are looking at $6,000 right now without paying recording costs. That is the sad thing about it. It costs a lot of money."