Jefferson native Ricky Fitzpatrick recently turned on his television and got quite a thrill — one of his songs was coming through his TV's speakers.

The song, "Dry Pond Road," was featured during an episode of GardenSmart, a weekly program that airs on PBS. The tune is one of the tracks from Fitzpatrick's upcoming CD, "Down Home in the Promised Land."

The Apple Valley resident has enjoyed many successes during his 20-year career, including being a Top Ten Myspace Artist.

The Times recently caught up with the singer, songwriter and guitarist to talk about his career and most recent projects:

Question: How long have you been involved with music?
Answer: My grandparents had me up and singing in church at the age of 5, but I didn't start taking guitar lessons until I was 9. I started playing the saxophone in the school band at 14.

I started pursuing it as a career about 20 years ago, mostly playing local clubs and bars doing country, rock and old favorite songs. It was a great training ground for me musically.

Q: What was it like hearing your song playing on TV?

A: It was just amazingly cool. Kind of surreal, like watching yourself do something, but it was such a satisfying feeling.

Q: Where did the name for your "Dry Pond Road" song come from?

A: Dry Pond is the name of a small, rural community in the Jefferson-Jackson County area. Beautiful place. It's only a few miles from where I grew up, so I have a ton of memories and images all associated with Dry Pond.

And naturally, Dry Pond Road is the main thoroughfare, so everything ties back into that road for me. Typically, I'll write a song and then let the mood and spirit of it lead me to what I think will be an appropriate name. (Memories of Dry Pond) all seemed to unfold very naturally when the song played, and I felt like I was almost cruising around, taking in all the sights and reliving so many of my best memories.

Q: When will your "Down Home in the Promised Land" CD be released?

A: Plans are for it to come out before the fall. The songs are recorded and we're mastering them now. The biggest thing I'm waiting on is a couple of labels who are considering handling the release, but haven't committed yet.

If no one wants to release it, then I can always do it myself. It's a great time to be a musician!

Q: How would you describe the sound of your upcoming album?

A: My favorite description is "folk fusion acoustic guitar," but some people would call it "Weather Channel Music," and that's cool with me. I suppose it is. It's a mellow blend of elements of folk, Irish, bluegrass and new-age styles - all done with the acoustic guitar and only the acoustic guitar. No other instruments.

Q: How can folks keep up with your projects and sample your music?

A: They can find me at www.rickyfitzpatrick.com.