Acclaimed American rock band Blackberry Smoke’s new song, “Azalea,” written by lead singer Charlie Starr and longtime collaborator Travis Meadows, is debuting today. Watch/share the official music video HERE.
Reflecting on the track, Starr shares, “It’s a heavy song. It’s not a happy song, per se. There’s some hope in there, too. It comes with both Travis and I being fathers. Hold on to your kids as tight as you can without smothering them.”
“Azalea” is the latest song unveiled from the band’s anticipated new album, Be Right Here, which will be released February 16 via 3 Legged Records/Thirty Tigers (pre-order/pre-save here). Ahead of the release, the band has unveiled three additional album tracks: “Hammer And The Nail,” “Little Bit Crazy” and “Dig A Hole,” of which American Songwriter praises, “elevates their trademark blend of blues, Southern rock, and Americana that has helped them sustain a fruitful, more than two-decade-long career,” while Whiskey Riff declares, “their distinctively southern rock sound and top tier songwriting always comes through” and Entertainment Focus calls it “an enticing glimpse into the musical journey that awaits listeners.”
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.
In celebration of the new music, the band will tour extensively this year with their “Be Right Here” headline tour. Upcoming stops include Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium (two nights), Pittsburgh’s Roxian Theatre, Boston’s House of Blues, Washington D.C.’s Warner Theatre, Cleveland’s TempleLive, St. Louis’ The Pageant and Denver’s Ogden Theatre as well as dates across the U.K., Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Italy and more. Special guests on the tour include Duane Betts, Ben Chapman, Hannah Dasher, FEEL, Georgia Thunderbolts, Hippies and Cowboys, John R. Miller, Soul Miners Union, The Scarecrows, Elvie Shane, The Steel Woods and Them Dirty Roses. The band will also join Cody Jinks for select dates this year. See below for complete tour itinerary and details.
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.
Of the recording process, 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.’”
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. Released to critical acclaim, Rolling Stone declared, “Blackberry Smoke are a Georgia band through and through…You Hear Georgia sounds downright huge,” while American Songwriter praised, “Blackberry Smoke is still on fire…a testament to that tenacity and an unapologetic ode to an insurgent attitude and tradition. That’s evident in practically every note and nuance” and Vintage Guitar proclaimed, “For 20 years, Georgia’s Blackberry Smoke has carried on Southern rock’s rich tradition. You Hear Georgia…is soaked in these roots.” 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 TRACK LIST
1. Dig A Hole
2. Hammer And The Nail
3. Like It Was Yesterday
4. Be So Lucky
5. Azalea
6. Don’t Mind If I Do
7. Whatcha Know Good
8. Other Side of the Light
9. Little Bit Crazy
10. Barefoot Angel
BLACKBERRY SMOKE CONFIRMED TOUR DATES
February 4-10—Miami, FL—Outlaw Country Cruise
February 15—Durham, NC—Durham Performing Arts Center*
February 16—Cherokee, NC—Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort Event Center*
February 17—North Myrtle Beach, SC—House of Blues*
February 18—Charlotte, NC—Ovens Auditorium*
February 20—Charlottesville, VA—Jefferson Theater+
February 22—Indianapolis, IN—Murat Theatre at Old National Centre+
February 23—Columbus, OH—Newport Music Hall
February 24—Louisville, KY—Louisville Palace Theatre
February 29—Little Rock, AR—The Hall†
March 1—Fort Smith, AR—TempleLive†
March 2—Springfield, MO—Gillioz Theatre†
March 7—Denver, CO—Ogden Theatre‡
March 8—Beaver Creek, CO—Vilar Performing Arts Center
March 9—Kansas City, MO—Uptown Theater‡
March 14—West Des Moines, IA—Val Air Ballroom‡
March 15—Medina, MN—Media Entertainment Center‡
March 16—Bowler, WI—North Star Mohican Casino Resort
March 19—Pittsburgh, PA—Roxian Theatre*
March 21—Boston, MA—House of Blues*
March 22—Port Chester, NY—The Capitol Theatre*
March 23—New Brunswick, NJ—State Theatre*
March 24—Patchogue, NY—Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts*
March 27—Washington, DC—Warner Theatre#
March 28—Lancaster, PA—American Music Theatre#
March 29—Cleveland, OH—TempleLive at Cleveland Masonic#
March 30—Glenside, PA—Keswick Theatre#
April 5—Douglas, GA—The Martin Centre^
April 6—Douglas, GA—The Martin Centre§
April 11—Cedar Rapids, IA—Alliant Energy Powerhouse~
April 12—St. Louis, MO—The Pageant*
April 13—Kalamazoo, MI—Wings Event Center~
April 26—Helotes, TX—John T. Floore’s Country Store*
April 27—Baton Rouge, LA—Event Center at L’Auberge Casino and Hotel
May 4—Miramar Beach, FL—Sun, Sand and Soul Beach Weekend
May 9—Houston, TX—713 Music Hall
May 10—Newkirk, OK—First Council Casino
May 11—Dallas, TX—Dos Equis Pavilion~
May 16—Maryville, TN—The Shed^
May 17—Maryville, TN—The Shed%
May 18—Maryville, TN—The Shed**
May 24—Camdenton, MO—Ozarks Amphitheater++
May 25—Beaver Dam, KY—Beaver Dam Amphitheater††
June 1—San Diego, CA—The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park~
June 2—Los Angeles, CA—Greek Theatre~
June 21—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium‡‡
June 22—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium##
June 29—Augusta, NJ—Rock, Ribs and Ridges Festival
July 7—Decatur, IL—The Devon Lakeshore Amphitheater
July 18—Canandaigua, NY—CMAC~
July 27—Coshocton, OH—Rock Coshocton 2024
September 9—Glasgow, U.K.—O2 Academy~~
September 10—Edinburgh, U.K.—O2 Academy~~
September 12—Manchester, U.K.—O2 Apollo~~
September 13—Birmingham, U.K.—O2 Academy~~
September 14—London, U.K.—Eventim Apollo~~
September 16—Brussels, Belgium—Ancienne Belgique~~
September 17—Tilburg, Netherlands—O13#~~
September 18—Hannover, Germany—Capitol~~
September 20—Copenhagen, Denmark—VEGA~~
September 21—Oslo, Norway—Sentrum Scene~~
September 22—Stockholm, Sweden—Annexet~~
September 24—Berlin, Germany—Columbiahalle~~
September 25—Vienna, Austria—Gasometer~~
September 26—Munich, Germany—Tonhalle~~
September 28—Paris, France—L’Olympia~~
September 29—Cologne, Germany—E-Werk~~
September 30—Zurich, Switzerland—Kaufleauten~~
October 2—Milan, Italy—Alcatraz~~
*with special guest Duane Betts
+with special guest Ben Chapman
†with special guest FEEL
‡with special guest Them Dirty Roses
#with special guest Soul Miners Union
^with special guest Hannah Dasher
§with special guest The Georgia Thunderbolts
~supporting Cody Jinks
%with special guest Hippies & Cowboys
**with special guest Southern Avenue
++with Whiskey Myers
††with special guest The Scarecrows
‡‡with special guest Elvie Shane
##with special guest John R. Miller
~~with special guest The Steel Woods
