There was a time when Blackberry Smoke would have been tagged a Southern-rock band, but today they sit at the crossroads of many styles – fist-pumping rock, country, blues, soul, and all kinds of raw Americana. Their latest, Be Right Here, was produced by Grammy winner Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell) and is rife with tasty guitar, memorable lyrics, and anthems about everyday life.
Recorded at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A, as well as Cobb’s own Georgia Mae Studio, in Savannah, which guitarist/frontman Charlie Starr describes as “…down in the low country and beautiful,” the album features him, Paul Jackson, and sideman Benji Shanks, the latter dropping slide on the single “Whatcha Know Good.”
“This album has a swagger to it, a deep-in-the-pocket kind of feel,” Starr says. “The surroundings helped give it that feel.”
To learn more, VG checked in with Starr about his band’s latest piece of wax.
How do you capture Blackberry Smoke’s stage energy in the studio?
Dave Cobb is a true analog man – no click, no tuning vocals. He is very passionate and a very fast worker. He also gets in there with us, playing percussion while we’re tracking. Recording a seven-piece band live is no easy feat, but Dave makes it look easy.
There’s tons of guitar on the album, but the songs and lyrics still come first. How do you find that balance in the studio?
I don’t feel it’s difficult, because most of my songs are born from guitar riffs. We always track live together, but this time we had all our amps and drums and everything in the room. It’s as natural and as real as possible. The last album was very raw, too. With this one, at times I would say, “I think we should redo that,” but Dave was like, “No, leave it. That way it’s magical.”
You cut tracks in RCA Studio A. What makes that room special?
It is a great big space with lots of vibe. This time, we tracked with everything in the big room – drums and all. You definitely hear it.
The studio is also like a museum. Not much has been changed or updated since the reign of Chet Atkins.
“Dig a Hole” has a fat riff in the tradition of Cream, Free, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. What are a few of the touchstone bands that Blackberry Smoke evolved from?
Well, you just named three of the big ones! I think our collective influences are all over the place, but we definitely find common ground in Aerosmith, Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, The James Gang, Little Feat, and The Rolling Stones.
Who are your guitar influences?
My Dad was my first. He plays traditional bluegrass and gospel – acoustic music. But that gradually grew to include Keith Richards and Mick Taylor, Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, and Brad Whitford, Angus and Malcolm Young, Skynyrd’s Rossington, Collins, and King, Duane Allman and Dickey Betts – the list is long.
What do you and Paul Jackson play on the album?
I’m not sure how to explain how to tell us apart. I just start the songs (laughs)! The mighty Benji Shanks plays slide on “Like It Was Yesterday.”
Is that a real Leslie on “Be So Lucky” or a stompbox? Such a great sound.
Yeah, that’s a real Leslie. I overdubbed a clean track through an old Vox Defiant. Both were played on Dave’s ’64 Rose Morris Rickenbacker 330.
Which other vintage guitars do we hear?
It’s a long list: a’64 ES-335, ’64 330, ’58 Telecaster, ’63 Esquire and ’62 Esquire Custom, ’55 Les Paul Junior, ’58 Les Paul Junior, and the ’67 Rick. For acoustics, I have a 1950 D-28, ’52 D-18, and a ’55 J-45.
What about amps and pedals?
I had a ’65 Champ, an early-’60s Magnatone Troubadour, a Supro Super, and a late-’60s Vox Defiant, plus the Leslie cab. Pedals were a ’90s Menatone Red Snapper, ’70s Echoplex EP-3, Analogman King Of Tone overdrive and SunFace fuzz, and a Klon KTR.
Is there a particular guitar you like composing songs on?
I generally have a guitar or two laying around my house to write with – usually an old Gibson acoustic or a Martin.
You have impressive muttonchops. Any grooming tips for readers?
Lose your trimmer!
This article originally appeared in VG’s June 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
