To honor their 20th anniversary, Atlanta-based rock band, Blackberry Smoke has announced a new record You Hear Georgia and shared the title track as the first single. The full album will be released on May 28 via Thirty Tigers and is now available for pre-ordering.  

Produced by fellow Georgian, Dave Cobb, the album will feature the band’s original line up: Charlie Starr on vocals and guitar, Richard turner on bass and vocals, Brit Turner on drums, Paul Jackson on guitar and Brandon Still on the keys. Special guests Jamey Johnson, Warren Haynes and The Black Bettys will be featured as well.  

The album’s ten tracks honor the people, places and sounds of Blackberry Smoke’s home state, showing their profound admiration for their roots. According to Starr, the album’s second track, “You Hear Georgia,” was written to combat the idea of having preconceived notions of others based on how they talk or where they’re from. “Lyrically, the [title song] is about the South being misunderstood. It’s obviously a rough and tumble world, and there’s a lot of bad people. But there’s a lot of good people too,” said Starr.  

You Hear Georgia follows their latest album released in 2018, Find A Light, which debuted as the best-selling Country and Americana/Folk album in the country. Since Find a Light’s release, the band has shared three additional projects including a live album and concert film, Homecoming: Live In Atlanta, a 6-song acoustic EP, The Southern Ground Sessions and another EP, Live From Capricorn Sound Studios, that includes six covers with significant ties to the historic studio. 

The band has come a long way since forming in 2001. Blackberry Smoke’s incessant touring has helped the band build a strong and devoted fanbase. Their music has also been featured on the television show, “Yellowstone,” and they’ve performed on NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly.” They also dedicate time to raising money for children’s cancer research and have raised nearly $500,000 thus far.