Granger Smith: Don't Listen to the Radio

Texas country heartthrob and fan favorite, Granger Smith, releases his first-ever live album, "Live at the Chicken," on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2012.

Recorded on November 20th, 2011, at the Dixie Chicken in College Station, "Live at the Chicken" is a compilation of 13 of Granger's past hits, as well as several of his recent radio hits including, "Don't Listen To The Radio," "Gypsy Rain," "Colorblind," and "Sleeping On The Interstate."

"I'll never forget my first live recording, and I'll never forget how people packed into a non-music venue on a Sunday night to support us," Smith said. "One of the greatest things about a project like this is knowing that the show will live on for all the people that didn't make it that night, or maybe for the people who have never seen us play before. It will live on beyond even my own touring days. I'm very proud of this album and I can only hope that it can have its small place in the great legacy of our genre for years to come."

Smith has been honing his craft of singing and songwriting since his early teens and has continued to grow in his musicianship, exploding onto the Texas red dirt music scene.

"Smith's style is more laid-back than, say a Jack Ingram or a Charlie Robison," says Chuck Dauphin from Music News Nashville. "There's a gentleness about his sound and his approach." "Smith's style is a crisp, adult-contemporary style that would sound good in Nashville or L.A.," says Andrew Griffin from the Red Dirt Reporter. "And while he's not a run-of-the-mill Texas country artist, he has worked that circuit quite effectively and his live shows are terrific."

 "Sleeping On The Interstate" is the single from Smith's most recent album, Poets & Prisoners, and landed in the Top Ten on the Texas Music Chart. This comes on the heels of an impressive list of previous hits for Smith. In 2008, he debuted "Colorblind," which immediately landed right into the top Top 10. When his 2009 album, Don't Listen to the Radio released, so did five more chart topping hits.

And Smith's influence goes beyond music--last year he walked 100 miles in combat boots from South Austin to the Ft. Hood military post in Killeen, as a means to show support for the troops, and he plans on doing the walk again this year. He is also dedicated to educating teenagers on the dangers of texting while driving, touring and playing for high schools to help spread his message. In addition to his music and charitable works, Smith has engaged a legion of fans with his off-the-cuff, satirical character videos including the popular Earl Dibbles Jr., which is emerging as a sub-brand of the Granger Smith movement. You can find all viral videos on Smith's YouTube channel: GrangerSmithMusic.

For more info on Granger, including music and upcoming tour dates, check out www.grangersmith.com.