Blackberry Smoke

The members of Southern Rock quintet Blackberry Smoke are no strangers to hard work. Playing up to 250 dates each year, the guys are on the road more often than not, and they’ve seen tangible results of their labor. The band has toured with and befriended idols such as The Marshall Tucker Band, ZZ Top (with Billy Gibbons jamming with the band on a Florida stop), Lynyrd Skynyrd and George Jones. The band was even asked to play for Jones on his 80th birthday, not long after the country legend turned in a guest appearance on the band’s sophomore album. They’ve toured Europe thrice over, and had their songs featured in video games (EA Sports’ NASCAR 08) and films (Swing Vote), as well.

Mixing elements of gospel, bluegrass, arena rock, soul and more than a touch of outlaw country, Blackberry Smoke has earned a passionate fanbase that continues to grow as the band itself evolves. The band is as blue collar as the bandanas its members wear. …continue reading

Brett Eldredge

Country up-and-comer Brett Eldredge has always been attracted to singers, a fact that should come as no surprise to anyone who’s heard the Illinois native’s soulful, distinctive baritone. “I always gravitated towards big voices, because as a kid I had this big voice coming out of me,” says Eldredge. “I was hooked on the story that somebody would be telling through their voice.” With his debut album slated to be released in 2013 on Atlantic Records and new single “Don’t Ya” at radio now, Eldredge is finally getting the chance to share a story of his own.

Although distant cousin Terry Eldredge is a member of seminal bluegrass outfit the Grascals, closer to home, Brett’s musical talent was the exception. The little kid with the big voice grew up listening to records from Ray Charles, Ronnie Dunn, and, of course, the greatest of them all: Frank Sinatra. His parents bought a guitar and a small sound system for Eldredge when he was a teen, and while he didn’t immediately take to the instrument – “I never could sit still long enough to learn it,” he admits – the sound system and its wireless microphone became a cornerstone of his early musical training. By age 15, Eldredge was a performer in demand for local functions. “I really grew to love the feel of the crowd,” he says. …continue reading

Brantley Gilbert

Stop and listen to any of Brantley Gilbert’s lyrics and you know a little about him. Listen to his albums and you will feel like family.

Brantley Gilbert was born and raised in the small town of Jefferson, Georgia, just outside of Athens city limits. It is that upbringing and small town influence that Gilbert credits toward allowing him to cultivate his unique sound. Gilbert’s taste in music always swayed toward a southern country rock feel, but his true-to-life testimony of heartache, trials, triumph, and success found a home in country music.

Gilbert’s career began on the stage: Night after night, he played acoustic sets at various venues in his hometown and slowly began to notice familiar faces in the crowds. Gilbert soon realized that his acoustic shows — however intimate — didn’t satisfy his audience’s thirst for his rock-infused country music. “We went from these acoustic shows to a bona fide Country-Rock-Soul show that is wide open,” says Gilbert. “Even when we play a ballad, it’s high energy.” …continue reading

Bucky Covington

Bucky Covington is that most remarkable of entertainers—a man known and loved as much for his engaging personality as for his formidable talent. The talent has shone through multiple hit singles that helped push his debut album toward gold status, and will continue to shine with the release of his sophomore album GOOD GUYS on Sept 11th 2012, with first week sales’ proceeds going to Help The Good Guys and the International Association of Fire Fighters. His undeniable likeability and his ability to wear his stardom as comfortably as his jeans has done the rest. Both come together on stage, where the long-haired North Carolinian with the rocker’s charisma and the country boy charm thrills old and new fans alike as he criss-crosses the country.

With his first album, Bucky earned a place in the forefront of a new generation of country singers. He became the best-selling debut artist of the class of 2007, with the best first-week sales and highest Top 200 debut for any male country artist in 15 years. He appeared on Good Morning America, Jimmy Kimmel Live and many others, became part of the Country Sings Disney project, and appeared in Hannah Montana: The Movie. Now, with his second, he leaves behind newcomer status and emerges as one of the true standouts in contemporary country music. …continue reading

Billy Currington

The title of Billy Currington’s new album, Enjoy Yourself, says it all. “That’s what I want people to think about doing when they hear my music,” the happy-go-lucky Georgia native says. “I want them to have a good time.” And a good time is clearly what they’re having.

He’s garnered an impressive ten Top 10 hits, with six of those hitting No. 1 – “Pretty Good At Drinkin’ Beer,” “That’s How Country Boys Roll,” “People Are Crazy,” ”Don’t,” “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right” and “Good Directions.” He’s sold millions of albums and has been selected to tour with the likes of Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley and Sugarland. Tour mate Carrie Underwood notes that Billy’s “talent and charm” have made crowds fall in love with him. He also received the compliment of a lifetime from David Letterman, who said about Billy’s “People Are Crazy” performance, “This song will change your life. You’re not going to do any better than this song here.” …continue reading

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

2013 marks the 20th Anniversary of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s remarkable arrival onto the music scene. In it’s first years, having secured their legendary residency at the Derby nightclub in Los Angeles, they reminded the world—in the middle of the grunge era, no less—that it was still cool to swing, big band style. Today the high-energy nine-piece ensemble continues the party and takes things to the next level with the release of RATTLE THEM BONES. The follow-up to the much lauded 2009 release, How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway, Rattle Them Bones still urges their millions of fans worldwide to shake and move to their inimitable grooves while also expanding their horizons with new musical inspiration and influence.

The intensity of the Calloway project helped the band further hone it’s ability to honor the great musicians and music of the past while pushing the genre forward through interpretation and vision. Leader Scotty Morris has called that experience “The greatest musical education possible, and one that again solidified the brotherhood of the band.” While by design the musical focus of that session was Callowayʼs heyday of the 30s and 40s, Rattle Them Bones is a more expansive, ultimately liberating work that began with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s singer and chief songwriter drawing from some unexpected cultural wells. …continue reading