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For a guy just bursting on the scene, Jimmy Demar has sure done a lot. The Star Search Male Vocalist had his debut single "You Don't Love Me Anymore" hit the top 10 in parts of the country and was acclaimed by Billboard and Music Row magazines; the song's video became a Nashville Network "Pick Hit." His television series credits include CBS's "America" and Fox TV's "The Outsiders"; he's also done commercials for Levis and Toyota.

So, with all this under his belt, how can Demar be considered a newcomer? Perhaps "new" is wrong. Jimmy Demar is clearly not new to show business. Let's just say he's back. After years of major steps, which poised Demar on the brink of hitting it really big, several personal losses -- including his father's illness and death from cancer - forced him to make the difficult decision to put his musical career on hold.

It's not a decision he regrets in the least. "I suppose my career would be further along," he says. "There were lots of great things happening for me before I took time off. But life isn't just what you plan. It's what happens. And sometimes you only have one chance to get it right. As hard as it was, I wouldn't have missed that time with my dad for anything. You just can't replace or get back those moments with someone. When they're gone, they're gone. I'm glad I listened with my heart."

Now, after negotiating the hurdles and detours that marked the past years, Demar is back. His music today not only builds on his earlier career successes, but it reflects the kind of wit, wisdom and optimism that come from making the kind of choices he has. The title track for his upcoming album ("It's About Time") is not just a song title for Demar; it's a belief. "This is what I want to do," he says matter of factly. "It's what I need to do. And now is the time."

These needs to write and perform are in Demar's blood. Raised on a ranch in a small southern Oregon town, he recalls singing, performing and writing songs for as long as he can remember. "It's how we spent our time. It was part of the culture." His father, a National Champion Rodeo Cowboy, encouraged Demar. "It all went together," Demar recalls, "the horses, the music, the whole lifestyle. Really, can you imagine rodeo without country music, or the other way around? It's just what we did, who we were." Demar's music, while drawing on a range of musical styles, often reflects these country roots. "Don't Try to Find Me," which will also appear on his upcoming album has got the whole ball of wax -- the beat, the guitars, the Dallas freeway. It even has the singer "headin' down the line." You know exactly how Demar spent his childhood when you listen to this one.

Two other songs show his other sides. "Thank God I Kissed You," celebrates the strange and random events that often land us in love ("I could have turned left. I could have turned right. I could have stayed at home that night"). For Demar, whose career has taken unexpected turns and detours, it is an especially fitting subject. "Man of My Word" has a refrain that really grabs you. It lets you know that this Demar guy has done some living and thinking since the days he was listening to country music in southern Oregon. This is a guy who has been in love.

Today, though, Jimmy Demar is mostly in love with the possibilities that are opening up for him. "I've come to this incredible point in my life," he says, "where I can really focus on what I love best and what I feel I have to do. I've worked hard and I've had some great things happen for me in my career. Taking time off was something I had to do. Now, in a similar way, I have to write and perform. I've got songs in me that I need to get out and share. The rest is up to fate.