Jerry Castle had an interest in music from a young age. Growing up in Abingdon, he began writing songs when he was 8 years old. His mother, though, didn’t want him to become a shiftless musician and forbade him to own an instrument.

Castle finally got a guitar when he was 20 and began traveling a rugged road in the music industry. In Southwest Virginia, he was part of a handful of bands including Stumble Biscuits (mostly a cover band of rock songs), Toast, (more of a jam band) The Toast Band (the new lineup when the moved to Nashville), and The World Outside (played more concise rock songs).

His first solid fan base came as his bands regularly played a restaurant called Addison’s, which sat across the street from Emory & Henry College in Emory. “That’s the place that really gave me the bug (to play music professionally)” Castle said.

He grew up on White’s Mill Road, went to college for a while, enlisted in the Navy, went back to college (UVA-Wise) and then left Abingdon for Nashville in 1998 with hopes of a career in music.

But his career, and life, has taken many turns. Upon his debut CD, 2004’s Back Side of Down, Castle moved to Los Angeles. There he was constantly writing and recording but nothing felt like it deserved to be released, he said. He was working two jobs to make ends meet.

Eventually Castle had enough of the grind in L.A. and moved back to Nashville. After more dabbling in the music industry, he finally put the guitar down and decided it was time to move on. He had a new daughter to support and new responsibilities. He became a financial advisor and tried to forget the siren song of being a professional musician.

Last spring, Castle said he had written a couple songs, “Getting There” and “Bend.” “I played them for some friends who used to play music with me,” Castle said. “Friends started asking when I was going to record the new songs. The writing felt great, felt easy, didn’t feel forced. So I decided to set a studio date. The song “Life Gets Better” was written while in the studio, and eventually Castle had five songs fully recorded.

I thought I’d put out an EP,” Castle said. “I was still trying to get my bearings. I wasn’t sure if getting back into music was the right thing to do but it seemed like everything was coming together.” So Castle scheduled some more studio time and on Jan. 12 of this year recorded the next five songs for what now has become his second CD.

Don’t Even Ask is the long-awaited second CD from Castle, coming six years after 2004’s Back Side of Down. Castle will debut the new record in his hometown of Abingdon on Friday, July 23.

“Dualtone (Castle’s record label) liked the idea of starting in Abingdon,” Castle said. “The Virginia Highlands Festival starts the next day, so this show kind of kicks off that event.” The show is an outdoor performance at Depot Square that starts at 7:30 p.m. Matt Ramsey of Buchanon, Virginia, opens the show.

The following night, July 24, Castle plays Kirk Avenue Music Hall in Roanoke in a show where Ramsey headlines. That show also begins at 7:30 p.m.

“Matt played with me back in May,” Castle said. “I’m happy to do the two shows with him this week and hopefully we can do some more shows together in the future. I’m going to do this run here to promote the CD release, then I’ll come up with a game plan for September and beyond. I’d definitely like to make it a point to get back to Southwest Virginia at least every two months.”

The new CD is full of songs written by Castle, including “Rainbows for Ava,” a song for his daughter that is sure to strike a chord with many parents.

“I’ve been trying to write a song for Ava pretty much since her birth,” Castle said. “I worked off and on for a couple of years trying to do it. Then I was living with a single dad (Castle is now divorced and has joint custody of his daughter), working two jobs, I was thinking of all the struggles, and I just sat down to write one night and it came together. I thought maybe my path would somehow help her. The song is also the point of view that I’m not always going to be around, and maybe she’ll have that song to go back to and remember me.”

Castle says of “Rainbows for Ava” that “It’s the most important song I’ve ever written.”

Castle, who sometimes performs solo, will be performing with a full band this week at the Abingdon and Roanoke shows. Having originally started in rock bands, Castle said he likes to bring a rock attitude to his shows, which now consist of more country and Americana tunes.

“The show has a lot of energy; it has some ebbs and flows. We have a good time. And, of course, I love playing back in Southwest Virgina. That’s my home.”

Tim W. Jackson is Editor of the New River Voice.