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Jeff Jopling studied and performed opera while a student at Maryville College and was part of a gospel quartet and Christian rock band before that, but this bass voice will test the waters with his country sound when he moves to Nashville later this month.

Jopling is a resident of Townsend, 1999 graduate of Heritage High School and 2003 MC graduate in opera performance. He moved here from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. with his family when he was about 8 years old. One of the first communities that embraced them was Tuckaleechee United Methodist Church.

He got involved with the church choir and began playing the piano by ear.

"I have the same story as pretty much everyone," Jopling explained from the studio in his barn apartment. He sang with the Tuckaleechee Harmonaires and Our Father's Sons, but another passion kept rearing its head -- country music.

Jopling said he has always loved that genre and also classic rock, although fans of his gospel work sometimes have a hard time reconciling those under one persona. Choose gospel and leave the rest alone has been their advice.

"I have a lot of convictions toward my Christian beliefs," this musician said. "But I finally decided I wanted to start singing more country. That is what I primarily do now. I do a lot of session work in Alabama, Memphis and Nashville. I always throw in 'Amazing Grace' or 'How Great Thou Art' when I'm doing country. I feel like I end up speaking to more people in a country venue than at church."

It was after graduating from college that Jopling started his career in the more popular genres. He worked as a band member for two years at Reflections Theater in Gatlinburg. He got the opportunity to sing four or five songs each night and played the bass and guitar. The theater closed down, but the band stayed together and went out on their own, playing for area tribute bands. Singers would call and the band was up for the challenge.

Making a living

Today, Jopling has his own artist management company, Rocksville Entertainment. He has a talented pool of musicians from which to hire singers and band members. And there is plenty of talent to pull from, he said.

He actually recorded his own country CD at a studio in Walland and has met some talent who should also be thinking Nashville.

"We have a ton of talented musicians right here, but the majority of the ones I work with are not making a living at music," he said.

One of the reasons may be the lack of venues where they can perform. Jopling said that is one of the reasons he is making the move to Nashville. Although East Tennessee has the largest country listening audience of just about anywhere, there is no place for live performance, he explained.

"Unless Kenny Chesney comes to Neyland Stadium or Keith Urban comes to Thompson-Boling, there are few places to go listen to live country music."

Americana, jazz and bluegrass are instead attracting all the attention, Jopling believes.

To show his appreciation to Tuckaleechee for its support over the years, Jopling will perform some of his gospel favorites there at 7 p.m. Sunday. He has some of those songs on a CD.

While he is headed to Nashville the day after he turns 27 and said he will be back, Jopling would definitely make this a longer venture if his career and business lead to more work. After all, most singers and songwriters in his shoes would grab that chance with both hands.

"It's very simple," he said. "I am like everybody else. I just want to sing my songs to thousands of people every night. I would like to ultimately go to Nashville and get a record deal and record and perform. But I also enjoy song writing. I would be just as happy being a songwriter. I would be happy being on tour playing piano or bass for somebody else. Making a living playing music would be just fine."