 In June 2004, he placed third in the North American Rock Guitar Competition sponsored by "Guitar Player" magazine and WNED/New York.Carroll holds a bachelor's degree in classical guitar performance from Northern Illinois University.In 2010, Rex participated in a tribute album titled "Mister Bolin’s Late Night Revival", a compilation of 17 previously unreleased tracks written by guitar legend Tommy Bolin prior to his death in 1976.