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Country singer Easton Corbin will be out this summer with Blake Shelton tour in support of Corbin's latest release, "All Over the Road," but since "The Voice" judge isn't scheduled to visit us, here is a chance to see Corbin headline his own show at a venue not generally known for hosting country artists.
In a phone interview, the 30-year-old crooner said he grew up in north central Florida, about 100 miles from the Florida-Georgia state line, a fertile ground for aspiring country musicians who get a hefty helping of Southern rock influences, with a case in point being the up-and-coming country duo called, appropriately enough, Florida Georgia Line.
Corbin released his self-titled debut album in 2010, which featured two appealing No. 1 country hits "A Little More Country Than That" and "Roll With It," as well as the top-15 hit "I Can't Love You Back."
Corbin had wanted to go to Nashville after high school, but his parents insisted that he get a college education, so he earned an agribusiness degree at the University of Florida's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and then moved to Nashville, working during the day at an Ace Hardware store while performing at night at open-mic nights.
"One of my heroes was Keith Whiteley," Corbin said of the late country singer who found fame with the timeless chart-topper "When You Say Nothing at All." He loved traditional country music. He lived what he sang about. You try to learn from those things."
When • Thursday, April 25, at 8 p.m.Where • In The Venue, 579 W. 200 South, Salt Lake CityTickets • $25 in advance, $30 day of, at SmithsTix