Georgia rockers Blackberry Smoke have a strong affinity to southern rock and their native Georgia. For the last 20 years, they’ve always sought to honor these roots and continue to add their own spin to the genre. It’s a lesson that continues on the band’s latest album You Hear Georgia, produced by Dave Cobb.
“I loved the songs, the playing, the freedom that those bands enjoyed musically,” says singer Charlie Starr of his love for Southern rock. “They could play blues and jazz and Gospel and country music. They could touch on it all, and they weren't tied down to one particular musical idea.”
He’s proud to be in the same state that produced “timeless music” from soul greats like Little Richard, James Brown, Ray Charles; blues legends like Blind Willie McTell, Barbecue Bob, Curley Weaver; and more modern performers such as The Allman Brothers Band, The Georgia Satellites, The Black Crowes and R.E.M. “It’s all over the place, but Georgia is really home to so much great music,” Starr says.
On the title track, Starr wanted to clear up misconceptions people have about the South and its people and culture. “It’s basically saying, don't judge a book by its cover,” he says. “You can't ever assume something about someone without knowing them. You can’t look at somebody and judge them by how they look or how they speak.”
He looks for inspiration for lyrics from anything from modern day to Biblical stories. “I think anything that can or will inspire you can put the wheels in motion,” he says. “Religion is definitely oftentimes inspiring to me, growing up in the Baptist church in the South. And there's a lot of imagery there that's really powerful.”
