Call it reality television if you must, but just don’t refer to “Nashville Star” as the country music “American Idol.”

“I wasn’t a fan of the ‘American Idol’ thing,” said Jamey Garner, a “Nashville Star” finalist and 1993 Eastern graduate. “Sometimes I watch ‘Idol’ and cringe a little, but USA has taken reality television and given it a little class and integrity.”

While Garner gained notoriety being beamed into millions of American living rooms, courtesy of “Nashville Star,” country music was never his first love or his initial musical passion.

Growing up in the small Illinois town of Chester, Garner began singing in church choirs at the age of four and was subjected to his parent’s record collection as far back as he could remember.

“My parents were country music fans and I couldn’t stand it,” he said. “I was more into big band and swing and Frank Sinatra.”

This initial predilection toward Sinatra not withstanding, Garner said music was a huge part of his life even as he began attending Eastern where he said he was constantly “loitering around the music building.”

Garner, a speech communication major, also ran track and pledged Sigma Chi fraternity while attending Eastern, but his love of music continually called.

After eventually quitting track, Garner finally had ample time to do far more than simply “loiter” in the music building. With the help of former Eastern choral director and voice instructor Bob Hills, Garner began honing his then untrained vocal ability and expanding his musical horizons.

“Certain people will have impact on your life and can change your life forever, and he did that for me,” Garner said of Hills. “I have always admired Bob.”

The feeling was mutual as Hills offered guidance and direction to Garner and helped to tame his talents.

“(Garner has a) very strong natural talent and came in untrained,” Hills said. “I tried to help train that ability and give direction. I didn’t know where he’d go, but I knew if he sharpened all his skills he could go anywhere.”

With the help of Hills, Garner joined a choir group called the Collegians. With track out of the way, Garner could devote the majority of his time to singing and the stage.

“He (Hills) literally dragged me into his office and forced me to sing into a tape recorder,” Garner said. “After joining, that’s when I realized I’m never as happy as when I’m on stage.”

After graduation, Garner headed straight for New York and was exposed to a rather rude awakening as the small-town boy finally saw big city life courtesy of the Big Apple.

“It forced me to figure out who I was and just how ‘small town’ I was,” Garner said of his initial New York experience. “It forced me to go back to my roots.”

This return to roots spurned Garner’s creativity as he quickly realized much of his new material was in the vein of country.

It was also in New York that Garner first met former writing partner Chris Tedesco. Garner said the pair just “clicked” and were able to write songs from their first studio venture. As the partners were working in a recording studio, Garner said he realized he and Tedesco had genuine writing talent when, at the behest of a number of musicians in the studio that day, the duo formed The Ranchhands.

“I always had pangs of wanting to be a solo artist,” Garner said. “I originally thought Chris (Tedesco) would be like the band leader and I would be the artist, but he was so talented and we worked so well together that The Ranchhands evolved.”

The Ranchhands even released an eponymously titled debut, but Garner’s eventual role on “Nashville Star” would cause a rift that remains unrepaired. Tedesco refused comment for this piece, but Garner added: “Chris might not have many nice things to say about me right now, but he’s still a good guy with a great heart.”

The impetus behind the rift came out of Garner’s desire for a solo career and the opportunity “Nashville Star” presented. After winning at both the local and regional levels, Garner was accepted into the show and performed his way into the finals before being voted off by fans.

Although “Star” was unilaterally met with groans both inside and outside of the industry, and comparisons to “American Idol” were inevitable, USA realized this potential for a fall and went to great lengths to avoid cheesiness often strangling reality television.

Wishing on a “Star”

“I can’t tell you how many times I heard, ‘This had better not be ‘Hee Haw,'” said “Nashville Star” executive producer George Verschoor.

Garner echoed these sentiments, applauding USA for being able to avoid the trappings so prevalent in reality television.

“USA and Sony didn’t approach this in a cheesy way and the cheese factor in the show could have been very high,” he said. “They came in with a lot of integrity and went to bat for all of the artists to make sure everything was top notch from the backing bands to production of the show.”

Even after being voted off, Garner will be a part of a CD compilation USA is putting out featuring “Star” finalists, and he is currently under a 90-day contract with Sony as he still may be able to sign with the label after the show ends.

And although his future is uncertain, Garner has great hope for his recording career and a new found love for the music city.

“Nashville has been great and they’ve greeted me with open arms,” he said. “Right now I’m putting my ducks in a row, and when the show ends it’s anybody game as far as who walks away with record contracts.”