SALEM — Country-music fans just got started lovin' the music of Salem native Jim Femino, who co-wrote a No. 1 hit on the Billboard charts.

Femino's song, "Just Got Started Lovin' You," is performed by country star James Otto and topped the Billboard country charts for two weeks. It has remained in the top 10 most aired songs on the radio for much of the summer.

For Femino — who played in bands as a student at Salem High School in the 1960s and has worked at a career in music since — the newfound accomplishment couldn't be sweeter.

"I'm an old rocker," said Femino, 56. "I played around Boston and all over the country for 25 or 30 years."

Femino first picked up a guitar at age 6 when his uncle taught him three chords. He played music throughout his childhood and teen years, and then one night his sister, Peg (Femino) Camarda, coaxed him to The Witches Brew in Salem and then goaded him onto the stage.

"My sister has always been a huge supporter of mine," he said. "She's always been the impetus behind getting me to do things."

Femino's career has since traversed states and genres, and he has lived and performed everywhere from Texas to Los Angeles. He even ran a music recording studio for a few years in Pennsylvania, but it wasn't until 1992 that he started writing country music in earnest.

"Like everybody else who isn't into country music, I thought, 'That's simple. I can write it in my sleep,'" Femino said. "Once you immerse yourself in it, you find it's actually very hard to write a good song. It took me 15 years to figure that out."

Since then, he has played with and written for various country-music artists, including Toby Keith. It has been years of hard work, and he said he faced many rejections.

"He's definitely an example of perseverance," said Camarda, his sister, who owns the Henry Derby Bed & Breakfast on Summer Street in Salem. "Many, many people told him the music business is hard to break into, and he refused to believe any of them. I'm very proud of him."

Salem roots

Femino grew up on Cambridge Street and Francis Road in Salem with his parents, Arthur and Florence Femino. Arthur used to own the New Vienna Cafe, and Florence worked for Sylvania.

His uncle was a musician, and Jim Femino felt the pull of music from the start.

"When the Beatles came out, everybody and their brother had a band," he remembered. "Literally every street had two garages with kids in it rocking out."

He graduated from Salem High in 1970 and played all over the North Shore, both as a solo act and with various bands, including The Thymes and The Great Rubber Band.

The irony of Femino's career, perhaps, is that he has always been a fan of rock — and still is.

"When I grew up, I always said there are only two kinds of music I won't listen to — country and classical. Then I got my first royalty check and it was like, 'Yee haw!'"

Now, Femino splits his time between his office in Nashville and his home in Royersford, Penn., where he lives with his wife, Leslie. He has five children and six grandchildren.

"Just Got Started Lovin' You" is on James Otto's album "Sunset Man," released in April. The song hit No. 1 in May, and is one of the most played songs on country radio this year.

The Country Music Award nominees will be announced Sept. 10, so Femino is waiting with bated breath.

"My glory days are now," he said. "It's never been better."

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To learn more about Jim Femino, visit www.jimfemino.com.