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Deep country: From love to loss, Billy Currington hits all the right notes

Hit-making singer to perform at the MACC on Saturday

Joseph Llanes photo

When Billy Currington is not regaling fans in concert, the country star likes to relax by surfing, riding horses and spending time on Maui. Returning to the island he calls “my favorite place in the world,” Currington will perform at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s A&B Amphitheater on Saturday evening in Kahului.

“What’s not to love about Maui?” he says. “I’ve been going to Maui for maybe 16 years now. The beauty blew me away the first time I arrived. Spending more time there I learned how amazing the people are. I seem to have gained more of a family and friendships in Maui than anywhere else in the world.”

Routinely topping the country charts with catchy hits, Currington’s latest single, the moving “It Don’t Hurt Like It Used To,” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay in October, his 10th chart topper.

He didn’t expect that the track, the only song he composed (with Shy Carter and Cary Barlowe) on his latest album, “Summer Forever,” had hit potential.

“I was surprised it even made the album,” he explains. “I wrote it, but I was swamped with music and I had picked out the songs I wanted to record. Someone reminded me about ‘It Don’t Hurt Like It Used To,’ and I realized I loved the song, so it made the album.”

Known as the godfather of the British blues-rock movement, John Mayall will perform on Maui on Wednesday. Photo courtesy Maui Arts & Cultural Center

The song, about a relationship breakup, obviously resonates with a lot of people as the accompanying video has amassed more than 9 million YouTube views.

“It happens to most everyone at some point in their life and a lot of people relate to that,” he notes. “It proves we all feel the same.”

Packed with memorable songs, highlights include the title tune, the uptempo No. 1 single “Don’t It,” and a soulful duet with Jessie James Decker on “Good Night.”

Reviewing “Summer Forever,” Country Music Chat praised: “For his sixth studio album, he has put together a winning collection of songs that should very well make your summer soundtrack.”

This popular country star is already compiling songs for his next recording project.

“I’ve been meeting with a lot of guys in Nashville and writing songs,” he says. “A lot of songwriters have my work email, so they’ve been sending me tons. One of my favorite things to do is to listen to demos, put them on a CD or iPod, and ride around in my truck and just listen. I like to live with songs for a long period of time before I decide to record them.”

The Georgia-born musician released his first single, “Walk a Little Straighter,” in 2003. Drawing on Currington’s experiences with an alcoholic stepfather, the song still impacts audiences today, with many emotional responses posted on YouTube.

“I was asked to play a radio event in this huge ballroom,” he recalls. “I had just written that song and it was the first time I played in front of many people in the business. There were lots of tears and everyone stood up. It was one of the most amazing feelings. It led me to getting a record deal the next week. And it was quite amazing hearing it when it came on the radio (the first time). I was in my hometown when I got to hear it. It was a proud moment.”

Since the release of his self-titled debut album, his No. 1 singles have included such memorable hits as “Good Directions,” “Let Me Down Easy,” “Must Be Doin’ Something Right,” “People Are Crazy” and “That’s How Country Boys Roll.”

Over the years, Currington has won the Hottest Video of the Year at the CMT Music Awards for “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right.” His hit duet with Shania Twain, “Party for Two,” earned nominations from both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music. And one of his biggest hits, “People Are Crazy,” earned Grammy nominations for Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song.

“I love that country music is about great music and family, everyone knows everybody in this industry,” he says. “And being a fan myself, I love hearing all the stories in the songs, stories that guys write like Eric Church and Willie Nelson.”

Packing the MACC’s A&B Amphitheater last year, Currington can always be counted on to please his fans.

“Backed by a talented and extremely tight band, it was nearly impossible to take your eyes off the stage,” noted a recent Soundcheck Entertainment review. “With nine No. 1s and 12 Top 10 tunes, it quickly became a sing-a-long. Billy and the band kept the energy hyped and the party going right until the very end.”

* Country star Billy Currington will perform in the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s A&B Amphitheater at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Maui singer Lily Meola will open. Gates open at 5 p.m. Tickets are $39, $59 and $79, with a limited number of $89 premium seats (plus applicable fees), and are available at the box office, by calling 242-7469 or online at www.mauiarts.org.

*****

Acclaimed as the godfather of Britain’s blues-rock movement, in his early days John Mayall fronted an amazing array of talent including Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce, who went on to form Cream; Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie; and future Rolling Stones’ guitarist Mick Taylor.

“I take it as a compliment,” Mayall says of his godfather mantle. “It’s a reputation I take pride in living up to. It’s not really a mission, more a responsibility to give people an honest music and something that excites them.”

The 82-year-old blues master returns to Maui on Wednesday as a power trio featuring Mayall on guitar and keyboards, Greg Rzab on bass and Jay Davenport on drums. Rzab has backed blues greats such as Albert Collins, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker and Junior Wells; while Chicago-born drummer Davenport has worked with legends like Wells, Pinetop Perkins and Jimmy Johnson.

“Having never performed anywhere or at any time without a guitar sidekick, I’ve found that I am able to explore new territories in a trio configuration playing organ, keyboards, harmonica and guitar,” Mayall explains. “I was surprised at how different and stimulating the experience was for me as a performer.”

Born in 1933 in a small village outside of Manchester, England, by the age of 14 Mayall was playing piano immersed in the blues.

“I was hooked from the age of 10 or 11 years old, listening to blues and boogie-woogie from my father’s record collection,” he recalls. “I grew up with it, but there wasn’t a market for it until I was 30. Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies kicked off the blues movement (in the U.K.) and that was my opportunity to go to London and join in.”

Forming the legendary Bluesbreakers in 1963, Mayall eventually recruited a young Clapton, who had left the Yardbirds, disenchanted with the group’s pop leanings. In the spring of 1966, the Bluesbreakers released their self-titled debut album to wide acclaim. This landmark recording is recognized as the first classic British blues album, and it made Clapton and Mayall stars.

Living in the U.S. since the early 1970s, Mayall still attracts some of the best players in the business. His excellent 1993 release, “Wake Up Call,” included help from Collins, Buddy Guy, Taylor and Mavis Staples. While “Padlock on the Blues,” in 1999, featured the talents of Hooker and Ernie Watts.

In May, he released “Live in 1967 — Volume Two,” a Bluesbreakers bootleg featuring Fleetwood Mac’s Green, Fleetwood and McVie, with performances captured at London club venues like The Marquee Club and Klooks Kleek.

“Peter Green is on fire throughout and this set, and Mick Fleetwood drives the whole set with his unique and powerful drumming,” says Mayall.

His latest studio album, “Talk About That,” set for release in early 2017, includes Joe Walsh on two tracks. The Eagles guitarist reported he was thrilled to guest on the album, noting Mayall’s 1960s albums with the Bluesbreakers helped introduce him to such lauded guitarists as Clapton, Green and Taylor. “I studied them all for hours and became a much better guitarist as a result,” Walsh told ABC Radio.

Reflecting on his historic career, Mayall feels a sense of pride that he’s helped preserve one of America’s greatest art forms.

“Over the passage of time, you come to appreciate the part that you played in it,” he concludes. “And you appreciate the part a lot of other people played in it.”

* The John Mayall Trio will perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Castle Theater at the MACC. Tickets are $35, $45, $55 and $65 (plus applicable fees) and are available at the box office, by calling 242-7469 or online at www.mauiarts.org.

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