“Chef’s Kiss Of Southern Rock” – HARDY Praises Blackberry Smoke

Southern rock royalty. When it comes to modern-day country music artists, there's probably not a genre (outside of country music itself obviously) that has influenced the space like southern rock. Ask any artist what they grew up listening to and you'll hear Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker Band, Charlie Daniels... the list goes on. However, the rock genre in general has... let's just say diminished over the years, but one of the groups still carrying the torch for southern rock right now is a band called Blackberry Smoke . F ormed in 2000 in Atlanta, Georgia, is composed of Charlie Starr, Richard Turner, Paul Jackson, Brandon Still, and Richard's brother, Brit Turner. Sadly, Brit Turner passed away in March this year, but the band is still touring and carrying on his legacy through their music. Blackberry Smoke is a cornerstone band of the modern-day Southern rock movement having embarked on many worldwide tours, taking their gritty, face-melting sound to nearly every corner of the world. With the likes of Whiskey Myers, The Steel Woods, and a handful of others, they are an absolute must-listen for any fan of southern rock. Country and rock artist HARDY brought them up on his podcast, The Fire With HARDY, released earlier this summer, where he and Jelly Roll talk about how the music from Blackberry Smoke has changed their lives. HARDY asks Jelly if he is familiar with them, and Jelly Roll perks up before HARDY dives into why he specifically resonates with their track "Who Invented The Wheel." "I forget how much of their music I love. Their first three records are just like chef's kiss of Southern rock, but they aren't replicating. They are very much their own thing. It's just this all-encompassing Southern rock. There's this particular song, 'Who Invented The Wheel.' I didn't know this until years into my relationship with this guy, but it was written by Craig Wiseman, who is, I think, the Godfather of songwriting in Nashville. The song is so cool, and talk about songs that leave people up to their interpretation. Basically, the lyric is 'I wanna know who invented the wheel.'" Hardy then reads the chorus of the track and discusses how the song's meaning could be literal or much more open in terms of how it relates to the wheel of life. When Hardy speaks about the song, he praises the songwriter behind the lyrics, but for them to come to life, the right band must sing them. Blackberry Smoke does more than sing these lyrics; they make listeners feel something throughout the song. Jelly Roll then chimes in and notes that he loves to fire up Blackberry Smoke when he is out on the lake but admitted he hasn't spent much time digging into their lyrics. However, after hearing how passionately HARDY spoke about "Who Invented The Wheel," he was headed for a deep dive. You gotta love hearing major stars like these two give Blackberry Smoke their flowers... they are some of the best in the business. https://www.instagram.com/p/C_iuqJEPwVI/ While you're here, fire up the track that HARDY raves about on the podcast episode. It's a heater. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmthCW3br38