When Charlie Starr was growing up, he wanted to play like the father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe.
“But none of my friends did,” said Starr, lead singer and guitarist of Blackberry Smoke, an Atlanta-based band. The group will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 30 at the Bell Auditorium.
Starr’s father loved bluegrass and country music, and Starr wanted to be like his dad when he was growing up. Other bands of the late 1970s, early 1980s also guided his musical styles.
While Starr and Blackberry Smoke have heavy influences of bands such as the Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker Band, Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones, the sounds of bluegrass and country often meld into music the band creates.
Blackberry Smoke’s most recent album, “You Hear Georgia,” was released earlier this year. It was recorded in RCA Studio A and was produced by Dave Cobb, the six-time Grammy winner who has produced Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton and Sturgill Simpson.
While some of the songs were written pre-pandemic, the recording took place while many people were still on lockdown.
“It was such an escape,” said Starr of the recording experience.
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Sometimes going into a studio can be stressful in-and-of-itself. This recording came at a time that brought the most stress many people had ever known. Recording became a relief valve, and an all too short one at that.
“The only drawback was that it was 10 days. It wasn’t long enough,” he said.
Starr said only one of the songs on “You Hear Georgia” addresses the pandemic and its effects. It’s called “All Rise Again.”
In 2016, the group released “Like An Arrow,” which also headed to the top of the charts and in 2018, members self-produced “Find A Light,” which debuted as the best-selling Country and Americana/Folk album in the country.
In 2019, “Homecoming: Live in Atlanta” came out.
Starr said he’s looking forward to performing in Augusta.
“We love Augusta,” said Starr, who has friends in the area.
As far as what the band has planned for the Augusta concert Starr said he doesn’t know yet.
“I’ll probably write out a set list about an hour before the concert,” he said.
Tickets to Blackberry Smoke are $37.50-$47.50 and are available at aectix.com.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
