South Mag - Chuck Courtenay

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written by jim reed • photography by jabberpics
chuck courtenay has been working the local country music scene for as long as he can remember, often
playing city market with his brother for thousands of tourists. but recently, he’s pushed out of savannah,
traveling across the country, opening for the bellamy brothers and other big time acts. his next stop:
music row in nashville, where he will prove himself with a new record.
Chuck Courtenay and I stand, half-hidden from the audience,
behind a tall stack of large, professional speaker cabinets. To his right,
a deep yet low-to-the-ground stage is covered with all manner of
musical equipment: guitar amps, microphones on stands, electronic
keyboards, a relatively elaborate drum kit, and what appear to be
enough coiled black instrument and mic cables to stretch from there
at the Island Grill in Port Wentworth to just past Statesboro.
It’s five minutes before his band’s opening slot for legendary
country music stars the Bellamy Brothers is set to begin, and the
frontman fidgets nervously. His attention darts from the almost full
house to the sound engineers, ready at their positions, to his band
members, slowly coalescing around the lanky blond singer in preparation for the group’s introduction. As his lead guitarist hands out
“good luck” shots of what looks like straight whiskey, Courtenay
motions the other members to draw in close and then proclaims—in
a voice that sounds both quite sincere and slightly contrived: “This
is no dress rehearsal. We are professionals and this is the big time.”
It’s the same motivational statement he’d leaned in and whispered
to me a few minutes earlier, and it’s obvious he’s taken this quote
from his hero, the late outlaw country-and-western icon Waylon
Jennings, to heart. Courtenay is determined to give his all at every
gig he plays—whether it’s opening for the Bellamy Brothers in a
300-capacity fun eatery, a featured slot at an outdoor festival (as he’s
often done), or a sparsely attended all-night bar gig in some far-off
town where he’s essentially unknown.
It’s that determination that not only sets him apart from many
Savannah-based acts, but also binds him to the brotherhood of
dedicated “lifers,” working musicians who devote all their energy and
time to methodically growing their career, one step—or show—at a
time.
Courtenay, whose father is a professional singer and musician, got
his start at a fairly young age. As the Courtenay Brothers, he and his
brother Jason covered soft rock, pop and country hits on acoustic
guitars. Their tight vocal harmonies and freshly scrubbed, mainstream
appeal served them well, and they quickly became an in-demand act
at area bars, restaurants and private functions. Most notably, they
performed regularly outdoors in Savannah’s City Market courtyard,
where they were seen and heard by thousands of tourists over the
years.
However, it’s his own budding future as the leader of this retroleaning, rock-oriented group (think more Billy Currington or Dierks
Bentley than Jason Aldean or Sugarland) that holds the most sway
for Courtenay. “It’s only been in the last five years that I’ve really
made a push to make a name for myself,” he explains. “I realized a
lot of people were really digging my music, so it’s full speed ahead
now.”
To that end, he put together a tight and versatile backing band
that complemented his own strengths. The current lineup includes
longtime drummer Jesse Jordan, bassist Jared Stubbs and Nashvillebased lead guitarist Kevin Campbell (who’s toured with stars like
catch courtenay
38
when
when
when
when
when
Every Tuesday in
June/July, 5 p.m.
Every Thursday in
June/July, 5 p.m.
Friday,
June 8, 8 p.m.
Saturday,
June 9, 8 p.m.
Saturday,
July 14, 8 p.m.
where
where
where
where
where
Wild Wing Cafe,
Savannah, Ga.
Tubby’s on River Street,
Savannah, Ga.
Saddle Bags,
Savannah, Ga.
Biltmore Estate,
Asheville, NC
57th Annual Beaufort
Water Festival, Beaufort, SC
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j u n e | j u ly 1 2
When you listen to
the radio, country
just ain’t country
no more. There’s way
too much pop in
there for me.
Anyone can make a
so-called ‘country
album’ because it’ll
sell. I’m trying to
balance real
country with a
little rock.
j un e | j uly 1 2
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39
Johnny Paycheck and Trace Adkins). When their schedules allow,
established Nashville-based steel guitarist Tommy Butler and awardwinning area bassist Tim Burke perform alongside Courtenay as well.
And on bigger gigs, brother Jason is sometimes on hand to add acoustic guitar and those impressive vocal harmonies.
These days, the Chuck Courtenay Band plays around a dozen dates
a month across the country. They recently scored a gig at a Denver
nightclub owned by Toby Keith, and Courtenay says they may play
Keith’s venue in Las Vegas later this year. He acknowledges his relatively late start at what many term a young man’s career, and knows
that if he’s ever to reach the next rung of the country music ladder, it
will require even more time away from home, and an increased emphasis on either writing (or discovering) radio-friendly songs which
have yet to be recorded.
“I have some ground to make up because—let’s face it—I’m not 24
anymore,” he admits. “But country fans are really loyal and will stand
by you. Being on the road definitely takes a toll. Even playing locally
or being gone a few days is hard, but I have a very patient wife who
believes in me and what I’m doing. That makes it a little easier. I’m
also writing more and more and ideally my next album will feature a
lot of my own material.”
Back at the Island Grill, the dance floor is packed by Courtenay’s
fifth song. Going on before an act that’s sold millions of records around
the world and earned a legion of the kind of loyal fans Courtenay
relishes, he and his band look the part, fit the bill and hold their own
(as the Bellamy Brothers’ bandmembers nod approvingly from the
side of the stage).
They even lighten things up a bit by playing a new, tongue-in-cheek
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j u n e | j u ly 1 2
tune called “Conway Twitty” that trades on
the name and saucy lyrics of the late C-&-W
singer (and ‘70s sex symbol) in a manner
Twitty himself made famous. Throughout the
set, whenever Courtenay roams through the
crowd with a wireless mic, gives a heartfelt
shout-out to his mom in the audience, or uses
industry lingo like “We’re gonna be pushing
that last song to radio,” he demonstrates his
increasingly savvy understanding of the
music-biz game and his willingness to play
that game.
Just don’t expect him to soften or compromise his straight-up honky-tonk sound to
get ahead. To hear him tell it, there’s far too
little sincerity left in the modern country
music world and too much posturing in its
place.
“When you listen to the radio, country
just ain’t country no more,” he reflects.
“There’s way too much pop in there for me.
Anyone can make a so-called ‘country album’
because it’ll sell. I’m trying to balance real
country with a little rock.”
He ponders that last statement and adds
with a sly laugh, “That’s rock like Travis
Tritt—not Guns ‘N’ Roses!”
•
this summer, and will soon head into the studio to
How will the sound of this record differ
from your debut? “People keep trying to get
cut an as-of-yet-untitled EP of new material. The
me to move a little more mainstream, but that just
project is still in the preparatory stage, but here are
doesn’t fit me. I play and sing country music and
the details, according to Courtenay himself:
most of this new stuff (on the charts today) is just
Where will it be tracked? “Nashville’s
so ‘pop’ I can’t stomach it!”
Chuck plans to release his second record late
Music Row. We’re currently working with a few
Who will be releasing the new record?
different producers to see which is best for me.”
“We’re currently working with a new label in Nash-
How many songs will be included? “Six.
ville. A lot rides on this album so I’m going to do
We’re calling it a ‘6-Pack’ because I want it to be
my best to make Savannah proud!”
as strong as possible, with no filler.”
Where can folks buy it once it’s out?
Who’ll play on the sessions? “I may have
“Locally, Barnes & Noble will be carrying the
CD and we’re working deals now with Best Buy,
Target and Wal-Mart, so hopefully they’ll all
have it as well. Also, like my first album, it will
be available at all digital outlets, like iTunes
and Amazon.com.”
my band on a few tracks, but we’ll mostly be using
some of the ‘Nashville A-Team’ players. It’s a formula that works up there, and my guys understand.”
How many Chuck Courtenay originals
will be included? “I’ve written two songs for
the album so far. I’m talking with some local songwriters as well and hopefully can include one or
For more information, visit
two from friends here at home.”
chuckband.com