By Kerry Burke
Anyone who thinks that Southern rock died out in the 1970s hasn’t heard the Atlanta-based band Blackberry Smoke. Channeling the likes of ZZ Top, the Marshall Tucker Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blackberry Smoke melds gritty blues with “the swing and swagger of Shooter Jennings,” according to Cincinnati’s “City Beat.” With extensive touring and a grassroots fan base, Blackberry Smoke, playing together since 2000, has established itself as a premiere Southern rock band.
On October 23, band members Richard Turner (bass/vocals), Charlie Starr (guitar/vocals), Brandon Still (keys), Brit Turner (drums) and Paul Jackson (guitar/vocals), along with Atlanta Has a Heart charity presented “Sweet Melissa,” a benefit concert at The Loft at Center Stage in Atlanta. All proceeds from the concert benefited Melissa O’Toole, a relative of the band who is recovering from stage 4 glioblastoma brain cancer.
Blackberry Smoke isn’t new to the benefit concert scene. Earlier this year, they hosted a concert for one of their own, supporting drummer Brit Turner’s three year old daughter Lana, who was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma, a rare cancer that develops in nerve tissue.
Blackberry Smoke returns to Atlanta on Friday, December 31 at The Peachtree Tavern to promote their new CD, “Little Pieces of Dixie.”