(PINEVILLE, Ky. - WBIR) As singers around the southeast make a name for themselves on reality shows like NBC's "The Voice," country singer Jimmy Rose hasn't slowed down since competing in America's Got Talent two years ago.
Rose said the competition still feels like it was yesterday.
It's been like a dream," Rose said. "It really has. You go from playing birthday parties and just kind of get-together gigs, pig roasts, things like that to actually your own show."
Rose took third place on America's Got Talent in 2013 by singing his original hit, "Coal Keeps the Lights On."
"It's just one of those songs," he said. "I never get tired of playing it. Never. It's always an honor to play it. I feel like it's not my song, it's our song."
Rose said he only worked in the coal mines for a couple years before joining the Marines. Now a Marine Corps vet, he said the message of his popular ballad still resonates strongly with him.
"If I would have went out with four X's that night, it wouldn't have mattered to me because I got a chance to play my song, 'Coal Keeps the Lights On,' to make a statement and show the world how much coal means to us here in Appalachia and what it truly means to our heritage."
Nowadays, if he's not booked with performances, he's deer hunting, fishing and spending time his wife and kids.
"We had a span there where we did 60 shows in six months," Rose said. "There was one week we done six shows in a week."
From singing with Dierks Bentley to playing gigs in Nashville, Rose said fans recognize him everywhere he goes.
"They don't care if you're in Walmart with a pack of toilet paper," he said. "You know you're going to be noticed, and you got to get a photo somewhere on Facebook or something."
But the fame never stops him from living humbly.
"If you want something, you can go after it and chase it," Rose said. "It don't matter if you're from these hillers and hollers. It just depends on how much you want it and how much you're going to push yourself."
His first album is called "Freedom." Rose said he's already planning on releasing a second album by the end of this year.
Two East Tennesseans are currently contestants on NBC's "The Voice." Emily Ann Roberts, from Knoxville, and Jordan Smith from Harlan, Kentucky. "The Voice" airs on WBIR Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m.
