Cracker Barrel Serves up New Numbers CD

Former Cracker Barrel Old Country Store server Jason Michael Carroll brings his new CD Numbers to the table as the first artist ever signed by the company’s exclusive music program who once worked in one of its restaurants. Carroll, who started singing in public while working as a server at the Cracker Barrel located in Henderson, N.C., has joined the ranks of the stars in the company’s exclusive music program.

The CD Numbers is a compilation of songs about everyday life experiences, including "Alyssa Lies,” which reached #5 on the Billboard Country Chart from Carroll’s 2007 album, and the title song "Numbers,” written by Patrick Davis and Rodney Clawson. "Most numbers mean absolutely nothing,” says Carroll, "but some of them, like the date you meet the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with, mean everything.” Cracker Barrel and Carroll collaborated with the Quarterback Records radio team, GrassRoots and country radio nationwide to debut the song as a single this past April. The Numbers CD debuts today exclusively at all Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations and online at crackerbarrel.com.

"Jason Michael Carroll’s Cracker Barrel experience has come full circle,” said Julie Craig, Marketing Manager for Cracker Barrel. "Numbers is about the connection between being at certain places at certain times in your life, and our special connection with Jason was born the day he started working in our Henderson store. He’s already made history within the Cracker Barrel family and we hope when people hear this CD, he’ll be on his way to making some music history as well.”

In addition to the 12 songs featured on the CD, fans will have an opportunity to see Jason Michael Carroll perform on the porches of some Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations this summer. Dates and times will be posted on crackerbarrel.com/music as soon as they are confirmed.

Numbers is the latest in Cracker Barrel’s exclusive music program. On May 16, Cracker Barrel released Teddy Gentry’s Best New Nashville with original music from 12 talented new artists. On May 2, Cracker Barrel released Randy Travis’ self-titled album Randy Travis. In March of this year, Cracker Barrel released Kenny Rogers’ The Love of God, which debuted at #8 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and #2 on the Top Christian Albums chart. In January 2011, Cracker Barrel released The Grascals & Friends - Country Classics With A Bluegrass Spin, which debuted at #1 on Billboard magazine’s Bluegrass Albums chart and at #26 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. In November of 2010, Cracker Barrel released Smokey Robinson’s Now & Then, which debuted at #19 on Billboard magazine’s R&B chart and was nominated for an NAACP IMAGE AWARD. September saw the release of the self-titled Rodney Atkins, which includes four #1 hits, and also the release of Mandy Barnett’s Winter Wonderland, which offers up all the authentic sounds of holiday traditions. In July, the company released Craig Morgan’s That’s Why-Collector’s Edition, and in May the release of Wynonna’s Love Heals debuted at #7 on the Billboard Magazine Top Country Albums chart. February’s release of Dailey & Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Bluegrass Albums chart, where it spent nine weeks in the top position and 18 weeks overall in one of the three top positions. One of its songs was nominated for a Grammy^® award. Over the last few years, Cracker Barrel has released exclusive CDs with Alan Jackson, the Zac Brown Band, George Jones, Montgomery Gentry, Dolly Parton, Bill Gaither, Ricky Skaggs, Aaron Tippin, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Josh Turner, Amy Grant, Kenny Rogers, Sara Evans, and Charlie Daniels.

About Cracker Barrel

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store provides a friendly home-away-from-home in its old country stores and restaurants. Guests are cared for like family while relaxing and enjoying real home-style food and shopping that’s surprisingly unique, genuinely fun and reminiscent of America’s country heritage…all at a fair price. The restaurant serves up delicious, home-style country food such as meatloaf and homemade chicken n’ dumplins as well as its made from scratch biscuits using an old family recipe. The authentic old country retail store is fun to shop and offers unique gifts and self-indulgences.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBRL) was established in 1969 in Lebanon, Tenn. and operates 603 company-owned locations in 42 states. Every Cracker Barrel unit is open seven days a week with hours Sunday through Thursday, 6 a.m. – 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 6 a.m. - 11 p.m. For more information, visit crackerbarrel.com.

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