BLACKBERRY SMOKE's CHARLIE STARR Offers Close-Up Look At His Vintage Guitars In New Episode Of "The Collection"; Video
November 23, 2023, 12 months ago
Gibson has released the latest episode in their series, "The Collection". Watch below.
A message states: "Today, we are grateful to venture off the beaten path to meet up with our friend and true Southern storyteller, Charlie Starr - the charismatic frontman for Blackberry Smoke and, lucky for us, a connoisseur of some fine vintage guitars. In this new episode of Gibson TV’s “The Collection,” join host Mark Agnesi to get a close-up look at the guitars Charlie has amassed in his world travels and learn his one rule for collecting: every guitar is meant to be played on stage."
Earlier this month, Blackberry Smoke debuted a new song, "Little Bit Crazy", in tandem with a UK & European tour announcement.
The new single was written by Charlie Starr and longtime collaborator Travis Meadows and the track comes with an official music video, which you can watch below.
Reflecting on the track, Starr shares: “It’s a rock and roll song about this fella and the girl who might be his undoing.”
"Little Bit Crazy" is the second song revealed from the band’s hotly anticipated new album, Be Right Here, which will is set for release on February 16 via 3 Legged Records/Thirty Tigers. Pre-order/pre-save the album here.
The band have also announced the UK & EU leg of their international Be Right Here headline tour, set to hit these shores in September 2024. See below for full tour itinerary. Full details can be found at blackberrysmoke.com/tour.
UK/EU tour dates:
September
9 - Glasgow, UK - O2 Academy
10 - Edinburgh, UK - O2 Academy
12 - Manchester, UK - O2 Apollo
13 - Birmingham, UK - O2 Academy
14 - London, UK - Eventim Apollo
16 - Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
17 - Tilburg, Netherlands - O13
18 - Hannover, Germany - Capitol
20 - Copenhagen, Denmark - VEGA
21 - Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scene
22 - Stockholm, Sweden - Annexet
24 - Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle
25 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
26 - Munich, Germany - Tonhalle
28 - Paris, France - L’Olympia
29 - Cologne, Germany - E-Werk
30 - Zurich, Switzerland - Kauflauten
October
2 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
Produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell), Be Right Here is a timely reminder to be present and live authentically. Across these ten tracks - a collection of their signature rock and roll anthems, Americana-leaning ballads and country rock jams - the band celebrates the simple joys of life, the fleeting moments and the little bits of luck found along the way.
Reflecting on the project, Starr shares, “We always track live together, but this time we had all our amps and drums and everything in the same room. It’s just as natural and as real as possible. The last album was very raw too, but with this one I remember different times I would say, ‘I think we should redo that,’ and Dave was like, ‘No, leave it that way. That way it’s magical.'"
Recorded at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A and Cobb’s Georgia Mae in Savannah, the album features the band - Charlie Starr (vocals, guitar), Richard Turner (bass, vocals), Brit Turner (drums), Paul Jackson (guitar, vocals) and Brandon Still (keyboards) - alongside Preston Holcomb (drums) and Benji Shanks (guitar), as well as special guest vocals from The Black Bettys.
Throughout their prolific career, Blackberry Smoke has released seven studio albums including 2021’s You Hear Georgia, which celebrated their 20th anniversary as a band.
In addition to their studio albums, they have released several other projects such as their EPs Stoned, The Southern Ground Sessions and Live From Capricorn Studios as well as Homecoming: Live In Atlanta, a live album and concert film, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk Album Sales chart.
Since forming in 2001, Blackberry Smoke has continued to tour relentlessly, building a strong and loyal community of fans. In addition to their work as musicians, the band is deeply committed to charitable work and formed the Lana Turner Foundation, a non-profit supporting several national foundations committed to curing children’s cancer. With these efforts, the band has raised over $1,000,000 to date benefitting children’s cancer research.
Be Right Here tracklisting:
"Dig A Hole"
"Hammer And The Nail"
"Like It Was Yesterday"
"Be So Lucky"
"Azalea"
"Don’t Mind If I Do"
"Whatcha Know Good"
"Other Side of the Light"
"Little Bit Crazy"
"Barefoot Angel"
"Dig A Hole" video:
Blackberry Smoke are:
Charlie Starr - Lead vocals/Guitar
Paul Jackson - Guitar/B.vox
Richard Turner - Bass/B.vox
Brandon Still - Keyboards
Brit Turner - Drums/Percussion
Benji Shanks - Guitar
Preston Holcomb - Percussion