Featuring special guests, The Allman Betts Band and The Wild Feathers

ASHLAND, Ky. — Acclaimed American rock band Blackberry Smoke will embark on their extensive “Spirit of the South Tour: A Celebration of Southern Rock N’ Roll” this summer with special guests The Allman Betts Band, and The Wild Feathers. The tour features a stop at the Ashland Riverfront in Ashland, Kentucky today.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at ParamountArtsCenter.com or through the Paramount Box Office. The Box Office can be reached at 606-324-0007 and is located at 1300 Winchester Ave. in Ashland, Kentucky. Operating hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Created to honor the various influences within Southern music, each show will conclude with a unique collaborative finale including Blackberry Smoke, The Allman Betts Band and The Wild Feathers as well as additional surprise guests.

The Allman Brothers Band Museum at the Big House will also have a new mobile set up on-site at each show, featuring never-before-seen archival items including original hand-written lyrics, family photographs, iconic clothing and jewelry, one-of-a-kind instruments played by the band and more. All ticket holders will be granted free access to the museum with $1 of each ticket donated to The Allman Brothers Museum at the Big House to help preserve its history and heritage.

The “Spirit of the South Tour” adds to a landmark year for Blackberry Smoke, who are celebrating their 20th anniversary as a group this year with the release of their highly anticipated new album, You Hear Georgia, out May 28. With the addition of producer Dave Cobb, a fellow Georgian, You Hear Georgia pays homage to the band’s deep respect for their roots. Across the album’s ten songs, Blackberry Smoke continues to embody Georgia’s rich musical legacy as they have for the past two decades, honoring the people, places and sounds of their home state.

Ahead of the release, the band has released four album tracks: “All Rise Again” featuring Warren Haynes, “Ain’t The Same,” “Hey Delilah” and “You Hear Georgia,” of which Starr reflects, “Lyrically, the 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. It started with the idea of how people might have a preconceived opinion of you because of a thick Southern accent, then expanded into the reality of how some people just seem to have such a hard time getting along, thanks to political or religious views, or simply what part of the country you come from.”

In addition to Blackberry Smoke — Charlie Starr (vocals, guitar), Richard Turner (bass, vocals), Brit Turner (drums), Paul Jackson (guitar, vocals) and Brandon Still (keyboards) — the album features Benji Shanks (guitar) and Preston Holcomb (percussion) as well as special guests Jamey Johnson (“Lonesome For A Livin’”), Haynes (“All Rise Again”) and The Black Bettys (background vocals).

You Hear Georgia follows the release of 2018’s Find A Light, which debuted as the best-selling Country and Americana/Folk album in the country, entered at #3 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and #2 on the Billboard Americana/Folk Albums chart. Released to critical acclaim, NPR Music praised, “pushes the envelope while providing that famous Blackberry Smoke autonomy, delivered with soulful vocals, haunting harmonies and kick ass songs,” while Guitar World declared, “one of the hottest and most exciting acts around,” and Rolling Stone hailed, “part of a lineage that shares a love of Petty, the Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Hank Williams Jr., able to ride an Americana vibe or peel off a stomping riff and tie it all together without a hint of pretense.” Following Find A Light, the band shared three additional projects — a live album and concert film, Homecoming: Live In Atlanta, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk Album Sales chart, a 6-song acoustic EP, The Southern Ground Sessions and Live From Capricorn Sound Studios, an EP of six covers that have ties to the studio.

Since forming in 2001, the band has continued to tour relentlessly, building a strong and loyal community of fans. Their music has also been prominently featured in the hit television show, “Yellowstone” and they’ve performed on NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly.” In addition to their work as musicians, Blackberry Smoke remains committed to charitable work and has raised nearly $500,000 benefiting children’s cancer research.

For more information please visit ParamountArtsCenter.com.