Blackberry Smoke is an American country rock band formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2000. The lineup consists of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Charlie Starr, lead/rhythm guitarist Paul Jackson, bassist Richard Turner and keyboardist Brandon Still. Richard's brother Brit Turner was the band's co-founder and drummer before his death in March 2024. Drumming duties have been covered during the bands tours since late 2023 by Atlanta drummer Kent Aberle. In 2018, they added touring members, guitarist Benji Shanks and percussionist Preston Holcomb, with Holcomb retiring from touring in the Spring of 2024. They have released eight studio albums, two live albums and five extended plays.
Blackberry Smoke | |
|---|---|
 Blackberry Smoke performing in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | BamaJam, Southern Ground, Rounder, 3 Legged, Earache (Europe) |
| Members |
|
| Past members |
|
| Website | blackberrysmoke |
History
editBlackberry Smoke was formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2000. They are the first independently released artist to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country Album charts in modern history. Their debut album, Bad Luck Ain't No Crime, was released in 2003. Their second album released in 2009, Little Piece of Dixie. has been featured by Paste magazine and other publications.[1][2]
In 2015, Blackberry Smoke became the first small independent outfit to have an album, Holding All The Roses, go to No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. Blackberry Smoke's 2016 album Like An Arrow did the same. They have performed throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and South America. They have performed alongside numerous artists such as Tedeschi Trucks Band, Guns N' Roses, Zac Brown Band, ZZ Top, Eric Church and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
The band had their first chart success with their third album, The Whippoorwill, released in August 2012, reaching Top 40 on Billboard 200.[3] The album was released under the Southern Ground record label.[4] On August 26, 2012, they performed at a charity benefit called the Boot Ride with the cast of Sons of Anarchy, partnered with The Boot Campaign at the Happy Ending Bar and Grill in Hollywood, California.[5][6]
On November 12, 2014, they appeared among many others – Jamey Johnson, Trace Adkins, Warren Haynes, Peter Frampton, Gregg Allman, etc. – in a show in tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta.
They moved to Rounder Records in 2014,[7] and released Holding All the Roses produced by Brendan O'Brien in early 2015.[8] The album reached No. 1 on Billboard's Country Albums chart. The band spent much of the summer of 2016 on tour with Gov't Mule.
Blackberry Smoke released their fifth studio album, Like an Arrow, featuring Gregg Allman, on October 14, 2016, via their own record label, 3 Legged Records.[9] The album landed at No. 1 on the US Billboard Country[10] and Americana/Folk[11] charts as well as the UK Rock[12] and Independent Albums[13] charts during release week. The band released its sixth studio album, Find A Light, on December 19, 2018.[14]
In 2019, the band released via Earache Records a live album and a film Homecoming: Live in Atlanta, recorded at their annual Brothers And Sisters Holiday Homecoming event at the Tabernacle in Atlanta in November 2018.[15] In 2021 the band released its seventh studio album, You Hear Georgia.[16]
On May 28, 2021, their album You Hear Georgia was released. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Americana/Folk Chart.[17] It sold over 33k copies the first week, 12,239 copies in pure album sales. This was good enough to put it also at No. 1 in album sales in both country and rock, and No. 3 in all of music. The album also racked up another nearly 1 million streams its debut week. The album was produced by Dave Cobb and also features appearances by Jamey Johnson and Warren Haynes.
In March 2024, the band announced drummer Brit Turner had died after a battle with glioblastoma. He was 57, and was diagnosed with the cancer in 2022.[18]
On April 5, 2024, Preston Holcomb announced via Facebook his last show would be April 27th and he would no longer be touring with the band.
Band members
editCurrent members
- Charlie "Starr" Gray[19] – lead vocals, lead & rhythm guitar (2000–present)
- Paul Jackson – rhythm & lead guitar, backing vocals (2000–present)
- Richard Turner – bass, backing vocals (2000–present)
- Brandon Still – keyboards (2009–present)
- Benji Shanks – third guitar, mandolin, dobro (2018–present)
Touring members
- Kent Aberle – drums, percussion (2022–present)
Former members
- Brit Turner - drums (2000–2024; his death)
- Preston Holcomb – percussion (2018–2024)
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [20] |
US Country [21] |
US Americana [22] |
US Heat [23] |
US Indie [24] |
US Rock [25] |
UK [26] |
UK Rock [26] | ||||
| Bad Luck Ain't No Crime[27] |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Little Piece of Dixie |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| The Whippoorwill |
|
40 | 8 | 30 | 10 | 12 | — | 30 | 2 |
| |
| Holding All the Roses |
|
29 | 1 | — | — | 7 | — | 17 | 1 |
| |
| Like an Arrow |
|
12 | 1 | — | 2 | 3 | — | 8 | 1 |
| |
| Find a Light |
|
31 | 3 | — | 2 | 6 | — | 12 | 1 |
| |
| You Hear Georgia |
|
55 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 7 | — | 17 | — | ||
| Be Right Here |
|
135 | 26 | 9 | — | 24 | 23 | 31 | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||||
Live albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [21] |
US [20] |
US Indie [24] |
GER [32] |
UK [26] | |||||
| Leave a Scar, Live: North Carolina |
|
17 | 128 | 22 | 49 | 35 | |||
| Homecoming/Live in Atlanta[35] |
|
— | — | 4 | — | — |
| ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Extended plays
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| New Honky Tonk Bootlegs |
|
| Little Piece of Dixie EP |
|
| Wood, Wire & Roses[37] |
|
| The Southern Ground Sessions |
|
| Live from Capricorn Sound Studios |
|
| Stoned |
|
Singles
edit| Year | Title | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Airplay [38] | ||||
| 2009 | "Good One Comin' On" | — | Little Piece of Dixie | |
| 2013 | "Pretty Little Lie" | 46 | The Whippoorwill | |
| "Ain't Much Left of Me" | — | |||
| 2014 | "Wood, Wire, Roses" | — | Non-album single | |
| 2015 | "Living in the Song" | — | Holding All the Roses | |
| "Too High" | — | |||
| 2016 | "Waiting for the Thunder" | — | Like an Arrow | |
| "Pearls" | — | Like an Arrow (deluxe edition) | ||
| "Believe You Me" | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "Sunrise in Texas" | — | |||
| "Let It Burn" | — | |||
| 2018 | "Flesh and Bone" | — | Find a Light | |
| "Best Seat in the House" | — | |||
| "Let Me Down Easy" | — | |||
| "I'll Keep Ramblin'" | — | |||
| 2020 | "Midnight Rider" | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Take the Highway" | — | |||
| "Keep on Smiling" | — | |||
| "Southern Child" | — | |||
| 2021 | "You Hear Georgia" | — | You Hear Georgia | |
| "Hey Delilah" | — | |||
| "Ain't the Same"[39] | — | |||
| "All Rise Again" | — | |||
| 2024 | "A Little Bit Crazy" | — | Be Right Here | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Music videos
edit| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "Sanctified Woman" | |
| 2009 | "Good One Comin' On"[40] | Roger Pistole |
| 2013 | "Pretty Little Lie"[41] | Cole Cassell |
| 2014 | "Shakin' Hands with the Holy Ghost"[42] | Lewis Cater |
| "Six Ways to Sunday"[43] | Blake Judd | |
| 2015 | "Too High"[44] | |
| "Rock and Roll Again" | ||
| 2016 | "Sunrise in Texas"[45] | Jamie Burton Chamberlin |
| 2017 | "Like an Arrow" | |
| 2021 | "You Hear Georgia | Andy Sapp |
| "Hey Delilah" | ||
| "All Rise Again" |
References
edit- ^ "Blackberry Smoke – Little Piece of Dixie :: Blogs :: Andy Whitman on Music :: Paste". Pastemagazine.com. May 14, 2009. Archived from the original on March 5, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ Phillips, Fred (August 12, 2012). "Blackberry Smoke – The Whippoorwill (2012)". Somethingelsereviews.com. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ "Watch Blackberry Smoke's new video & check out live pics!". Rock Revolt Magazine. January 18, 2013.
- ^ "Zac Brown Launches Southern Ground Artists Label « Southern Ground". Southerngroundrecords.com. May 12, 2011. Archived from the original on June 24, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ "Boot Ride — Get Your Tickets NOW!". Bootride.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ "Blackberry Smoke – The Whippoorwill (2012) – Something Else!". Something Else!. August 12, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
- ^ "Blackberry Smoke Leave Zac Brown's Label, Ink Rounder Deal for New Album". blackberrysmoke.com. November 6, 2014. Archived from the original on November 12, 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
- ^ Glass, Polly (January 23, 2015). "Blackberry Smoke: Holding All The Roses". Louder Sound.
- ^ "Album of the Month (October 2016): Blackberry Smoke, 'Like an Arrow' Read More: Album of the Month (October 2016): Blackberry Smoke, 'Like an Arrow'". The Boot. Taste of Country Network. October 3, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
- ^ "Top Country Albums". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
- ^ "Americana/Folk Albums". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Charts". Official Charts. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
- ^ "Blackberry Smoke – Find a Light". Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
- ^ Lewry, Fraser (September 9, 2019). "Blackberry Smoke announce Homecoming: Live In Atlanta live album and film". Louder Sound.
- ^ Ehrenclou, Martine (February 24, 2021). "Blackberry Smoke To Release New Album 'You Hear Georgia' Out May 28th, Share Title Track". Rock and Blues Muse. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "Blackberry Smoke Americana/Folk Charts". Billboard. June 12, 2021.
- ^ "Blackberry Smoke Drummer Brit Turner Dies at 57". The Rock Revival. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ^ Glass, Polly (July 2, 2021). "Southern comfort: the unconventional story of Blackberry Smoke". Louder. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ a b "Blackberry Smoke Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ a b "Blackberry Smoke Chart History – Country Albums". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ "Blackberry Smoke Chart History – Americana Albums". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ "Blackberry Smoke Chart History – Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ a b "Blackberry Smoke Chart History – Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ "Blackberry Smoke Chart History – Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Blackberry Smoke > UK Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
- ^ "Bad Luck Ain't No Crime". Blackberry Smoke. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ Matt Bjorke (October 10, 2012). "Country Album Chart News For October 10, 2012: Little Big Town #1 for a Month; Jerrod Niemann & Blake Shelton Debut". Roughstock. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014.
- ^ Bjorke, Matt (September 14, 2015). "The Country Album Chart Report for September 14, 2015". Roughstock. Sales figure given here
- ^ Bjorke, Matt (August 29, 2017). "Top 10 Country Albums Chart: August 28, 2017". Roughstock.
- ^ Bjorke, Matt (November 7, 2018). "Top 10 Country Albums Sales Chart: November 7, 2018". Roughstock. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
- ^ "Discographie von Blackberry Smoke". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ Matt Bjorke (July 16, 2014). "Country Music's Top 10 Albums: The Week Of July 17, 2014". Roughstock. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
- ^ "Country Bites News snippets August 18 – August 24, 2014". Country Route News. August 31, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
- ^ Horowitz, Hal (November 14, 2019). "Blackberry Smoke Bring The Fire For Homecoming: Live in Atlanta". American Songwriter.
- ^ Bjorke, Matt (November 24, 2019). "Top 10 Country Albums Pure Sales Chart: November 24, 2019". Roughstock. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ "Wood, Wire & Roses EP". iTunes. January 2014.
- ^ "Blackberry Smoke Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
- ^ "Blackberry Smoke Share New Single "Ain't the Same"". April 9, 2021.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Blackberry Smoke : Good One Comin' On". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on May 7, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2012.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Blackberry Smoke : Pretty Little Lie". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Blackberry Smoke : Shakin' Hands With The Holy Ghost". VEVO. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Blackberry Smoke : Six Ways To Sunday". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on July 21, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
- ^ "Blackberry Smoke | Too High | VEVO – Yahoo Screen". Yahoo! Screen. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Blackberry Smoke : Sunrise in Texas". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on October 23, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2016.