If you go
› What: For King & Country› When: 9 p.m.› Where: Coca-Cola Stage
Cody McCarver says he’s been through and seen a lot of things in his life. He spent several years on the road with Confederate Railroad, then as a solo country music performer.
He’s had hit songs like “Red Flag,” “Through God’s Eyes” and “Redneck Friends of Mine,” and he’s acted in two films, “Billy the Kid” and “Cole Younger and the Black Train.”
He’s performed with legends like Johnny Paycheck, David Allan Coe, Merle Haggard and Charlie Daniels. And he’s dealt with a father who died in prison after being locked up for 15 years.
To say McCarver found solace in a bottle would be an understatement, he says, but three years ago he decided he needed a change, so he quit drinking and found religion. Today, he is still writing and touring and playing the same type of rowdy country music, but the lyrics are considerably different.
“I call it ‘outlaw gospel,'” he says.
It’s for people who like their country raw but with a positive, faith-based message.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.