Country music golden boy Granger Smith returns to Australia for a headlining slot at Groundwater Country Music Festival (Gold Coast) and his own run of shows, both featuring his good friend/ alter ego Earl Dibbles Jr. Can I get a 'yee yee'!
“We just have a blast with Earl,” Granger says.
“Earl is an alter ego that my brother and I created a few years back. It was a whacky video we made to promote the music and it went viral. Last year when we came to Australia we saw people dressed up in the overalls representing Earl and I could not believe the support there.”
A caricature of the stereotypical southern country boy, Earl has attracted his own loyal following of supporters that are sometimes separate to Granger's.
“There are definitely markets where my music is more popular and they look funny at Earl, and there are different markets where they look funny at me and can't wait for Earl to come, and I love both; I'll take it either way,” Granger laughs.
On his return trip to Australia, Granger says he is most looking forward to once again enjoying one of the best country music experiences in the world. “The passion that we saw in Australia is really bar-none,” he says.
“We see so many places here in the United States and secretly we wish that we could tell them they need to check out Australia on how to act at a concert.”
Granger's most recent album is 'When The Good Guys Win' and was released last year. His ninth studio album, Granger says that it was largely written and recorded while on tour for his previous album ('Remington', 2016).
“We’re very proud of it and that was an album I worked on so much while I was touring on the road, and I have a recording studio on the bus so because of that there's a big reflection on the fans on that album.
“I wrote a lot of the songs and I edited and I even sang some of the songs on the bus, in a parking lot at a venue that I was going to play that night. So looking out the window I'm writing a song and I see people lined up waiting to get in the front door, and it’s almost as if I could write through them as I'm looking out the window, so it's definitely special.”
A self-made musician, Granger ultimately credits a loyal fan base for the status he enjoys the world over and many of who have supported him from the very start of his career.
“I'm very proud of our fans and they’re like a family to me because the core audience has supported me to the end and I know they’ll always be there for me,” he says.
“We see people that travel for miles and miles and miles, hours and hours and hours here in the States to see us play and that’s so special. I'm from the state of Texas, so even the microcosm of Texas itself, you can travel for 12 hours in a car from one end of the state to the next, so even growing up I had a lot miles to cover to play concerts.”
Granger Smith Tour Dates
Wed 25 Jul - Rooty Hill RSL (Sydney)Thu 26 Jul - Village Green Hotel (Melbourne)
Fri 27 Jul - Dalrymple Hotel (Townsville)
Sat 28 Jul - Groundwater Country Music Festival (Gold Coast)
