‘Nashville’ Star Jonathan Jackson Signs Record Deal

'Nashville' actor Jonathan Jackson, who plays the sometimes impulsive singer-songwriter Avery Barker on the hit TV show, has landed a record deal. The 31-year-old, who has been fronting the band Enation for more than 10 years, has signed with Loud & Proud Records.

"It felt like the perfect timing for everything," Jackson tells Billboard magazine. "The last decade, really, I've had an amazing time just working really hard developing a sound and continuing to write songs and play everything. So I'm really grateful for the time that we've been doing things independently, but at the same time it feels great to have this happen."

The Florida native, who began his acting career by starring in the soap opera 'General Hospital' as a precocious 11-year-old, says appearing in 'Nashville' perfectly combines two of his passions into one role.

"Being a part of a show like 'Nashville,' [with] the music side of it, I knew from the very beginning that it was extremely important and that they were obviously putting a lot into it," he notes. "It was pretty easy to see that at the least, I would get more exposure as a singer. For years, I've thought about a project or a way where I could do acting and music together, and I never really thought that would happen. Then 'Nashville' came along, and it was like a dream come true to marry both of those worlds."

The Emmy-winning actor, who has also appeared in 'Boy Meets World' and the movie 'Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights,' hopes to incorporate the music his band has been making since 2002, along with the new music influences from 'Nashville' as he focuses on his debut album.

"It's definitely a furthering exploration and development of what we've been doing in Enation," he explains. "Being on 'Nashville' and working with some incredible people like T-Bone Burnett and Buddy Miller -- so many wonderful, incredible musicians that I've been blessed to play with and observe -- that has continued to shape the process of arranging music, writing music."

No date has been announced for the release of his freshman project. 'Nashville' airs on Wednesday nights at 10PM ET on ABC.