Blackberry Smoke serves up country fried rock

Blackberry Smoke lead singer Charlie Starr performs on Stage A at BamaJam on Friday afternoon.

By: Lance Griffin | Dothan Eagle
Published: June 05, 2010

ENTERPRISE – It doesn’t take long to figure out the kind of music Blackberry Smoke plays.

There’s the long, straight hair. Boots. Champion mutton chops from a couple of members. Mirror sunglasses.

And then there’s the story they love to tell about their recent tour in Europe where a star struck fan approached them after the show and, in broken English, showed them the rebel flag tattoo on his arm and tried to apologize for getting the colors wrong.

Video interview with Blackberry Smoke

· See it here.

It is hard to take music back 35 years, strip it naked and return it to the gritty sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Marshall Tucker Band, yet somehow make it sound fresh.

That is the appeal of Blackberry Smoke, an instant BamaJam sensation after their appearance last year and ready to build on their appeal at this year’s festival.

“People will never get tired of that kind of music,” said Charlie Starr, who does vocals and music for the Atlanta-based band. “And right now, they don’t have a lot to choose from.”

Although the band is currently enjoying its greatest success – its single “Good One Comin’ On” was number one on Country Music Television’s Pure Country Countdown for two weeks running in May – the band has actually been touring for almost 10 years.

The band recently signed with Ronnie Gilley’s BamaJam records

BlackBerry Smoke’s newest album “Little Piece of Dixie” epitomizes its Southern Rock roots with songs like “Sanctified Woman and “Up in Smoke.”

But while the band unashamedly claims its Southern Rock niche, there have been several influences on the band’s music.

Along with Skynyrd and Marshall Tucker, the band claims some bluegrass influence from Bill Monroe and has an affinity for jazz, blues and funk.

“Anything that’s good,” Starr said.

The band said legendary ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons gave them the best piece of advice they have ever gotten in the music business. First, Gibbons told the band to get rid of the music monitors from the front of the stage because it obstructs the vision of the people who paid big money for front-row seats.

Second, Gibbons told them to wear boots.

They also plan to heed the advice of country music guitarist Lee Roy Parnell, who once told them “Don’t change, no matter what.”

“It’s not like we were planning to,” Starr said.