Corey Smith is a fan-made man.
He's sold more than a million concert tickets, 1.5 million digital singles and 220,000 albums. Smith built this devout fan base simply by telling it the way it is.
The singer-songwriter stops in Walker Theatre for an acoustic show Thursday, Nov. 14. on his In the Meantime Tour. Thursday's show is one of less than a dozen elite concerts he is performing to celebrate the fifth anniversary of his album, "Maysville in the Meantime."
He'll play a solo acoustic set of his hits like the coming-of-age anthem "Twenty-One," the nostalgic "If I Could Do It Again" and the group hug "I Love Everyone" along with some fan-favorite deep tracks.
If you go
› What: Corey Smith› Where: Walker Theatre inside Memorial Auditorium, 399 McCallie Ave.› When: 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14› Admission: $39.50 and $29.50› For more information: 423-757-5580
"Maysville in the Meantime," the eighth of Smith's 10 albums, was a stripped-down project released specifically with fans in mind.
In 2014, Smith had spent two years working on the highly awaited album "While the Gettin' is Good." After several push-backs of that album's release, Smith felt the need to get new music to fans in the meantime. He went into the studio with his old friend and keys player, Lee Davis, and cut stripped-down versions of new songs and old favorites that had never been released on an album before.
"I knew I'd be putting out the ['While the Gettin' is Good'] record soon, and that is why this was called 'Maysville in the Meantime.' It was going back home, to my roots and doing something that was fun," said Smith.
In 2012, the singer released "Live in Chattanooga," which reached No. 14 on folk charts.