[1] He worked as a disc jockey in his hometown, and moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1974 after being persuaded by a girlfriend to attend a convention there.
While in Nashville, he worked at a motel and recorded demos with his friend, songwriter Bruce Burch.
Jarrard stopped working at the motel in 1979 after complications of diabetes, which led to him losing his eyesight before suffering total kidney failure which required a transplant.
Other artists who recorded his songs include Alabama, Tracy Lawrence, and George Strait.
[3] Jarrard continued to be affected by diabetes, eventually undergoing a second kidney transplant and having both legs amputated in 1997.