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It’s a fitting title, looking back, as Starr and Blackberry Smoke wouldn’t experience a surplus of good fortune initially, bouncing from label to label for their first three albums. The band earned its stripes by gigging hard in the early years and working toward its first record, which arrived in 2004 in the form of Bad Luck Ain’t No Crime. “Finally, he said, ‘What about The Blackberry Smoke?’ All of a sudden, that didn’t seem so silly.”ĭropping “The” from Robinson’s not-so-silly suggestion, the ragtag group- which also includes Richard Turner (bass), Paul Jackson (guitar) and Brandon Still (keyboards)-got started down a decidedly blue-collar path. “So Chris was over for about a 24-hour period-there was some partying going on, and he kept coming up with these silly suggestions,” he continues. “Naming a band is fucking hard,” Starr jokes. We all have.” Starr recounts one particular booze-soaked night hanging around Robinson and his Black Crowes bandmates when they were kicking around ideas for their moniker. “My drummer, Brit Turner, has known Chris for years. “Chris Robinson did name the band, yes,” Starr confirms when asked if that story was true. “It’s an uphill battle,” he admits, “which it is for all bands-unless you’re the Stones.”īut while Blackberry Smoke’s rise through the ranks has been fraught with obstacles, the Atlanta-based quintet is on much firmer footing as the enter their 16th year as a band with their dynamic new record, Like an Arrow.Ī band’s journey often begins with a name and, in this case, that process can be traced back to their formative days in Atlanta and an inspired idea from Chris Robinson. “We’ve felt like the underdog for most of our career,” Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr confirms as he checks in following a few weeks on the road with Gov’t Mule in August.