Buddy Jewell, or Buddy Jewell Jr., is a renowned country singer and songwriter who rose to fame after winning the first season of Nashville Star. He has given several hit country songs like Help Pour Out The Rain, Sweet Southern Comfort, etc., and has won several awards for his works.
Jewell came to the limelight only after winning the Nashville Star in 2003, but he had struggled many years before that. The self-taught singer started his musical career at twenty-one and did several other jobs before reaching the height of fame.
He even worked as a demo singer and did five thousand demo songs before making it big.
Biography & Wiki Quick Summary
| Popular Name | Buddy Jewell |
| Real Name | Buddy Jewell Jr. |
| Date of birth | April 2, 1961 |
| Age | 63 years old |
| Place of birth | Lepanto, Arkansas, USA |
| Hometown | Kissimmee, Florida, USA |
| Father | Leslie L. “Buddy” Jewell |
| Mother | Eva Lorene Harris |
| Siblings | Two |
| Orientation | Straight |
| Pronouns | He\His |
| Status | Married |
| Spouse | Tené Jewell |
| Ex-spouse | Waylon Jennings |
| Children | Three |
| Sons | Buddy III Jewell and Joshua Jewell |
| Daughter | Lacey Jewell |
| Occupation | Country singer and songwriter |
| Net worth | $3-$5 million USD |
| Nationality | American |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Zodiac | Aries |
| Height | Unknown |
| Weight | Unknown |
| Measurement | Unknown |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Grey |
| Complexion | Fair |
| Instagram id | thebuddyjewell |
| BuddyJewell | |
| Buddy Jewell | |
| YouTube | BuddyJewellVevo |
| Website | buddyjewell.com |
Buddy Jewell’s Net Worth, Earnings, and Businesses
Jewell has been active in the music industry since 2001 and has signed contracts with renowned agencies like Columbia records, Lamon Records, etc.
He has given many hits songs and has traveled across the USA and even to other countries.
Besides his singing career, he is also the co-owner of a gourmet donut shop that he started with his wife.
From all these endeavors, the country singer has earned quite a fortune.
So, despite not knowing the exact amount, it is safe to assume that he has $3 – $5 million USD as his net worth.
Family & Life Before Popularity
Jewel was born in Lepanto, Arkansas but grew up in Kissimmee, Florida.
He is the second son of his parents and has two siblings.
Jewel grew up in a supportive family where he was an athletic and musical kid.
In high school, he played several games such as football, baseball, and basketball. He was the team captain in his high school and even played football after joining college.
However, as time passed, he became more inclined to music as it has always been his passion.
Growing up, his parents influenced him with their choice of music. His parents used to bring stacks of classic country music and play them.
Jewel spent his childhood listening to the music of country music legends Johnny Horton and Marty Robbins, played by his father, who died in 2016 due to diabetes complications.
His uncle, who taught him how to play his first song on guitar, was friends with another country music legend, Johnny Cash. Also, his family was friends with his sisters of Cash.
Jewel grew up in a musical environment where everyone around him was into county music.
Due to this, he fell in love with country music since his childhood days.
So, when he was in school, he brought a guitar from one of his friends and then saved up from his grocery bagging job for guitar lesson books.
He then started learning how to play guitar by himself. His uncle saw his passion and taught him how to play songs on the guitar.
By the time Jewell was fifteen, he was an expert guitar player and used to perform in church and public places.
Despite having talent, he struggled for a while and moved from place to place to make a career in the music industry.
He even took many jobs to earn his livelihood. Finally, luck smiled at him, and he came into the limelight, and the rest is history.
Now, the entire country music lover community knows his talents and are his fans.
Details on His Weddings, Wives, and Relationship
Jewell was initially married to Waylon Jennings, whom he met in college.
He left his college in junior year to marry Jennings. However, the couple ended things between them in 1984, just after two and half years of marriage.
The heartbroken country singer then moved to Camden for his career, where he met his current wife, Tené.
He then married his second wife, Tené, and welcomed their first son in 1993, whom they named after him.
The couple then moved to Dallas with their son and welcomed their daughter, Lacey, followed by their second son, Joshua.
Tené has supported Jewell all these years and is always with him through all thick and thin.
It was also Tené who encouraged Jewell to compete in the Nashville Star, from where he became a sensation in country music.
The couple is still together and has a happy life with their children and grandchildren.
Education and Dropping Out from the College
Jewell earned his high school degree from Osceola High school in Kissimmee, Florida.
Once he completed high school, he joined Arkansas State University to study TV and radio, but he dropped out during his junior to get married to his first wife.
After this, he never went back to college and got graduated.
Career in Music
Jewell grew up in an environment where his family loved music, so he was a country music lover from childhood.
He self-taught himself how to play guitar after buying one from his school friend.
He started his career by performing in churches and other public places. By age twenty, he was already performing in many clubs and competing in many talent shows.
The award-winning singer then moved to Camden, Arkansas, to leap in his musical career.
While in Camden, he stumbled upon the band White Oak, who were looking for a lead singer.
He joined the band and the entire band performed under a booking agency that managed many big bands like Trace Adkins and Canyon.
Jewell traveled the country with the band for the next four years before moving to Dallas, Texas.
His time in Dallas was tough as he had to work in Crazy Horse Saloon Show, a gunfighting show at Six Flags Over Texas, to earn his living.
During his time in Dallas, Jewell competed in Alabama June Jam Talent Search, a singing competition sponsored by the Alabama band. He won the competition and became the vocalist of the band.
Though he was part of a band, he wanted something more, so he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and came in contact with Music Row.
He worked as a demo singer on the Music Row, where the songwriters and music producers loved him, but no record companies would offer him contracts.
As a demo singer, he sang around five thousand demo songs for other artists like Clay Walker, Lee Ann Womack, etc., and even released two of his albums, One in a Row and Far enough Away.
Jewell was still struggling even after performing in many bands and releasing albums.
So, he entered the Nashville Star after his second wife encouraged him. In the show, he won millions of hearts with his passion and enthusiasm for music and also won the show.
Soon, he signed a contract with Columbia records and released his famous single Help Pour Out the Rain. The single became a fan favorite, and many even wrote to him about his single.
After the success of his first single with Columbia Records, he released many more singles and even won awards like Entertainer of the Year, Crossover Artist of the Year, etc.
However, his career experienced a bit of a downfall in the middle, and even his agency backed off.
Despite all this, Jewell did not give up. Instead, he left Columbia and signed with Lamon Records and worked with the Grammy-nominated artist turned producer Dave Moody.
The two worked together to release his album, My Father’s Country.
The album was a hit, and Jewell released many other songs after it, including Bluebonnet Highway in 2020.
The country singer with gold records is still active in his field. He still produces music for himself and other artists and even goes on musical tours.
Recently in September 2022, he performed at Fall Heritage Festival, Cowan, TN with other popular singers like Marty Raybon (Shenandoah band), Cody McCarver, and The Hutchinson Brothers.
Controversies
As much as people find peace in his music, there are some things about the country singer that his fans find hard to swallow.
Fans often criticize Jewell for his views on Mexican Americans. His single This Ain’t Mexico angered many as he mentioned keeping the undocumented immigrants out of the country by tightening the border security.
Though he serves and does charity for the veterans fighting for the nation and even performed for them by flying to war zones in Afghanistan and Kuwait, his fans could not accept his coldness towards the undocumented migrants.
