Video Interview: Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr on “Be Right Here”

25 years as a band and still going strong.

Americana UK interviews have proved popular with our readers and after long discussions at AIK Towers, we have decided to publish some future interviews on video to bring an extra dimension to the experience, so please let us know your views.

The honour of being the first in this new line of interviews goes to Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr who was at home when American UK’s Martin Johnson caught up with him over Zoom to discuss the band’s new album, ‘Be Right Here’, which Americana UK thought could be their best album, and the secret to keeping a band going for 25 five years. Charlie explains that while he is a musician he also sees himself as a fan of music, and he expresses pride in the fact that the southeastern corner of the United States produced the greatest music outside the classical genre which includes rock and roll, blues, soul, jazz, bluegrass, and country. This combination of pride and fandom was given a further boost when Blackberry Smoke recorded part of ‘Be Right Here’ in the legendary RCA Studio A in Nashville with producer Dave Cobb.  He also shares the pleasure he had attending UK Americana Music Week, and how he is looking forward to coming back later in the year.

Blackberry Smoke’s ‘Be Right Here’ is out now on 3 Legged Records/Thirty Tigers.