The flight plan for this rising country artist led through SHSU and a Navy P-3 Orion.

For creative folks, experiences provide a treasure trove of material to feel deeply, write about, sing about, and ultimately mold into something meaningful to the world. Life’s experiences make for beautiful art. For Texas Country artist Jack Nelson, the path to becoming a professional musician has created an incredible journey of story and sound for the listener. He’s bringing his artistry to Lone Star Lights at Carolina Creek this season for the third year. Let’s learn where he’s been and where he’s headed.

Share a little about yourself.

I like to refer to myself as a nomadic Texan. I was born down in Corpus Christi; I lived in Riviera, Texas through my elementary years. I went to high school east of Dallas. I went to college at Sam Houston [State University]. I bounced all over the state a lot growing up, hanging out with family. My dad would get together with buddies on the weekend to play music just for fun. I think I got my first guitar when I was 4 years old. We grew up with music always being around, more so as a hobby than a career choice. We had a drum set instead of a dining room table growing up. I always say I don’t remember not knowing how to play and sing. I think, the day I was born, I came out crying in key.

What brought about your military service, and were you involved in music during that time?

When I went to Sam Houston my first year, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I found out about this program in the navy that would allow me to fly as an enlisted person, so I did that for five years, flying around the world as a flight engineer on a P3-Orion. When I got to my first duty station in Jacksonville, Florida, I stopped at a music shop and picked up a guitar. I took it with me to all four hemispheres in 15 different countries. I was always playing in the barracks or playing for the folks I was serving with at the smoke pits when we’d barbecue. Even then, it wasn’t something I had ever fathomed I would make a career of or grow into. It was just something fun to do.

How did your music go from being a hobby to a career?

When I got out of the navy, I went back to college at Sam and just started picking up gigs on the side as a hobby player. It started growing more and more as I was finishing up my degree. I had one semester left before I would graduate; I took that semester off to focus on music to see if I could make a living doing that. I was able to do it, so I went back and finished my degree. I’ve been traveling all over the country, playing and singing for people, ever since.

Your sound has been described as “breathing life back into the reminiscent sounds of the wild west” by The Texas State Line podcast. How would you describe your sound in the broad and loose genre of country music these days?

They’re not far off on that. I don’t intentionally focus on what it’s going to sound like. That’s not typically my priority with music and creativity. I kind of let it create itself and flow out of me and capture whatever that is in the best way. It’s a lot of the wild west and the traditional country style, as well as stuff I’m doing that can range anywhere from folky to groovy and anywhere in between. I just like to have fun with it and let it grow and be good. It’s country music through and through; I’m from the country, and it’s the music I make. It’s all about my life and experiences, or at least drawn from that.

Tell me what a Jack Nelson show is like.

There are two different versions of the Jack Nelson show. There’s the acoustic, broke-down version, which in its own way is one of my favorite kinds of shows to do. I get the opportunity in certain settings where you have a good group of people that are captivated and want to hear the stories behind the songs and enjoy the evening together. Those nights are magical in their own way. The other side of that coin is the full band, big production show. That is so much fun. It’s great to be able to get together with the big drums, the keys, the fiddle, and other guitars, and just to be able to create that big sound with my peers–to put on a large production with a much higher energy as well as a greater wall or canyon of sound, which is the effect I want to go for. I want the music to surround and engulf you. The acoustic shows are great, but not like when I get all my friends on stage, and we can make these songs come alive together.

In July 2023, your song “RoadRunner” was Texas Country Music Magazine’s “Song of the Week”; more recently, you are a finalist in the Texas Country Music Awards “Emerging Artist” category. What does it mean for your music to be recognized this way?

It’s awesome! When we go and play shows as musicians and entertainers, we’re usually playing someone else’s birthday, wedding, retirement party, or cul de sac crawfish event. We’re more a fixture of the place than us being the entertainers that we are. When the music industry does things like recognizing “RoadRunner,” it’s our own form of a birthday party. I think it’s great, and I don’t take them for granted. Win, lose, or draw on any of them, it’s nice that people are paying attention.

What is coming up in the future you’re particularly stoked about?

Last summer was our 9th year and 10th trip up through the Rocky Mountains. We do it every year and call it the Rocky Mountain Run. For the first six years, it was me and the band, dragging the guys all over the mountains in the summertime. Three years ago, we decided to try it with just me and the wife and the dog (because some of the guys weren’t able to make the trip) and make it a solo acoustic run. We had such a great time doing that, we ended up doing the run like that for the next three years. It has made me a better musician, in many regards, both as a band leader and as a solo artist. We’re working on making next year our biggest year. We have a lot of goals we want to achieve and knock off the bucket list…and hopefully do that with the band, too.

You’ll be performing at Lone Star Lights at Carolina Creek again this year. Will you be playing some of your own music along with Christmas tunes?

I’m definitely going to be doing both. If there’s one thing I love playing more than my own songs, it’s Christmas music. It’s ingrained in me somehow. There’s something about Carolina Creek that I haven’t found anywhere else in holiday venues. The environment just really embodies the true spirit of Christmas. The origin of what Christmas is to us as Americans and as Christians is truly kept there.

To check out more about Jack Nelson, and to take a listen, visit jacknelsonband.com.

Caption for Photo in printed magazine:

Jack received the Texas Internet Radio Chart Rising Star Sebby Award earlier this year. In addition, his album “Going Places” was a number one on folk charts when it was released.