It’s been a couple of weeks since Dickey Betts died. And if there were a Mount Rushmore for Southern Rock Guitarists, the Allman Brothers Band co-founder’s lean face, narrow eyes, and droopy handlebar moustache would surely be chiseled on that stone.

Betts has been on the mind of Charlie Starr. The singer/guitarist for Blackberry Smoke recalls touring with Betts and his Great Southern Band early in their career.

“I was only around him a few times, and he was always very nice to me. But a giant of a musician. I can’t imagine music without Dickey Betts. It’s so ingrained in my psyche,” Starr says.

“I can’t overstate how important his music is, whether the instrumentals like ‘In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,’ to things like ‘Ramblin’ Man,’ ‘Blue Sky’ and ‘Revival.’ Then his solo stuff! ‘Bougainvillea,' ‘Atlanta’s Burning Down.’ My God, is there anything more beautiful than ‘Highway Call?’ And when you learn to play guitar, you have to learn to play ‘Jessica.’ It’s in the rule book!”
If there’s any band that’s been anointed to carry on the tradition of ‘70s Southern Rock, it’s surely Blackberry Smoke. Closing in on a quarter century of existence, they’ve just released their eighth studio album, Be Right Here (3 Legged/Thirty Tigers). Starr says he’s thrilled with it.

“The newest one always excites me the most, and it will until the next one!” he laughs. “I’m really proud of it. I think it’s very cohesive, maybe more than any other one. When I was putting together the running order with [producer] Dave Cobb, it all flowed.”

This is the very-busy Cobb’s second record with Blackberry Smoke, after 2021’s You Hear Georgia. He’s also worked with Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlisle, Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson. And to the band, he’s almost a defacto eighth member.
“Dave is passionate and he likes to work fast, which is what we also do. We’ve never had the luxury to spend a lot of time making a record. Pull a Steely Dan and take a year to make one. But we’ve always done it in a week. That’s the way Dave works too,” Starr says.

“And we have the same sense of humor. We laugh at goofy shit. When you come into a session with us, it’s definitely not highbrow, it’s silly! And isn’t one of the most appealing things about rock and roll is that you don’t have to grow up.”

Starr also says the Cobb and the band are on a continual journey to “chase the sounds” of records made between 1967-75. They search for vintage equipment to use in the studio, even though there are computer programs that can pretty much replicate the sound of any instrument of any era of manufacture.
“I’m not interested in making anything that doesn’t sound like that era,” Starr offers. “I don’t want new technology that sounds like old shit. Dave and I would rather go the extra mile and use the authentic old shit. I mean, he told me his favorite vocal sound of all is how Little Richard sang on those 1950’s singles.”

The songs on Be Right Here run the gamut from scorching rockers and beautiful ballads to more lolling, contemplative tracks. And there seem to be two major themes that emerge over and over again in Starr’s lyrics on tunes like “Dig a Hole,” “Whatcha Know Good,” “Hammer and Nail,” “Like It Was Yesterday” and “Barefoot Angel.”

One is about how life’s paths will inevitably fork at one point, forcing a choice of which road to take. And the other is about feeling a sense of gratitude.
“I think you’re on the mark, Bob! And someone else pointed out that there seemed to be a lot more positivity on this one than the last couple,” he says.

“When you’re inspired to write lyrics, it can either be because you’re pissed off or you’re happy. The last record was coming out of COVID, so there was a lot to be pissed off about! But lyrics also come from characters you know or read about. I think I was just surrounded by a lot of happy people.”

Unfortunately, one recent event in the Blackberry Smoke family was not cause for any remotely happy feelings, and that was the death of founding drummer Brit Turner this past March.

In the fall of 2022, Turner was diagnosed with a glioblastoma brain tumor. Though he continued to play and record with Blackberry Smoke all through medical treatments and surgeries before being forced to step back on December of last year.
In a tribute to Turner that appeared on the band’s social media following his passing, he was called the “True North” of the group. That designation was authored by Trey Wilson, the band’s manager.

“When I read that, that idea hit me hard because it’s so true,” Starr says. “I think it was Dave Grohl who said that when you think about being in a band, even if it’s a true democracy, you still really have to have a person who says, ‘This is what we need to do.’ And in our band, that was Brit.”

Starr recalls that even if he and Turner disagreed about something, the drummer would calmly lay out his case, making a decision in his favor seem almost like a foregone conclusion.

“When he was passionate about something. Damn it, that’s what we were going to do. And he wasn’t wrong!” Starr says. “He didn’t make rash decisions and go on wild goose chases. And he didn’t make bad investments in the band’s time or money. So yes, he was the True North of the band.”
Starr also credits Turner with learning lessons about how to make money while touring early in their career with Jackyl and their frontman, Jesse James Dupree. Dupree took a special interest in guiding the fledgling group.

“Brit saw the merch they were selling, and he came back and told us ‘Here's what the fans want. They want black T-shirts with our logo on it. They want guitar picks. And they want panties!”

The current lineup of Blackberry Smoke includes founding members Starr, Richard Turner (bass, also Brit’s brother) and Paul Jackson (guitar). There’s also longtime keyboardist Brandon Still, and newish guys Benji Shanks (guitar) and Preston Holcomb (percussion). Filling that important drum slot, at least for the shows that will take up most of the band’s 2024 schedule in the U.S. and Europe, is Kent Aberle, a longtime friend from their hometown of Atlanta.

And then the members of Blackberry Smoke will rest, with nothing planned after that.

“This has all been such a…well, it’s been an eventful time,” Starr sums up. “When it started to get heavy for Brit and he had to come off the road, any future planning for the band kind of stopped then. We’ll just see what happens!”

Blackberry Smoke plays at 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, at 713 Music Hall, 401 Franklin. For more information, call 832-204-6920 or visit this site. $24.50-$97.95

For more on Blackberry Smoke, visit BlackberrySmoke.com