Return Of The “Fan-Made Man”
Corey Smith is no stranger to Chattanooga. The country singer and proclaimed “fan-made man” has made the city a regular stop on his extensive tours across the country. He even recorded a live album at Track 29 in 2012, simply titled Live in Chattanooga.
The album was recorded just one week after being abruptly shut down at the same venue, where he compensated disappointed fans with a resonant and unfiltered performance which, thankfully, did not end in the same fate.
Making his return to Chattanooga on Saturday, Corey Smith will be playing at The Signal with Chris Bandi opening. As a part of his two-year-long Great Wide Underground tour, fans can expect to hear new and old material from Smith’s sixteen-year career.
Though it has yet to be released, Smith’s forthcoming album Great Wide Underground should appear sometime this year. Last year, he released three singles from the album, “Empty Rooms”, “Halfway Home”, and “Honky Tonkin’ in My Blood”.
The songs spark nostalgia and emotion through odes to the roaring honky-tonks from Smith’s childhood, as well as the woes of working far from family. There is no doubt that his songs, whether heard at a party or in a moment of reflection, can touch a southerner’s mind.
This contradicting yet appealing duality present in Smith’s songwriting allows for the singer to exhibit his introspection and raise hell at the same time.