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LITTLE ROCK — Corey Smith doesn't think about what he sings. He sings it. It's that brutal honesty in his songwriting that has made him a star. A star strictly outside the mainstream, but a star nonetheless to a flock of fans who enjoy his down-home tunes and ebullient live shows.

"I'm not very good at censoring myself, and when I'm writing a song I try to say whatever I want to say, whatever I'm inspired to say," said Smith via telephone from Jacksonville, Fla. "I don't think: ‘Well, what's appropriate to say? What can I say that might be put on the radio? What's popular to say?' If I start thinking about those things I think what I do becomes much less of an art. I think largely my stubbornness as far as my artistic integrity has kept me from being as mainstream as maybe I could have been."

Smith is one the faces of indie country (with a hefty shot of rock 'n' roll), a group of musicians who operate outside the clutches of the corporate interests in Nashville, Tenn. Smith does what he wants. How he wants. When he wants. It's a hard-working business model and artistic style that affords him "100 percent freedom."

"I've made music because it makes me happy," he said. "It's therapeutic for me. It feels right. I don't have much choice in the matter. It's what I do to be healthy. Whether people are listening or not, I'm going to be writing music."

From the north Georgia town of Jefferson, Smith started playing music at an early age. (His first live performance was a cover of The Oak Ridge Boys' "Elvira" at the age of 7.) After high school, Smith moved down the road to Athens, Ga., where he attended and graduated from the University of Georgia in 2001. He started a career as a social studies teacher but continued playing around Athens, releasing his debut album in 2003.

Smith steadily built a following across the Southeast, playing college towns, earning fans with his unpretentious tunes built on the foundation of good friends and good times. The music is heartfelt. Slices of real, rural life. Joyful blasts of high-energy country rock.

A 2006 show at Athens' legendary Georgia Theatre, where R.E.M. and the B-52s got their start, convinced Smith it was time to put away the books and pick up the guitar full time. With the then-unknown Zac Brown Band opening ("How crazy is that?"), Smith sold out the venue.

"I was able to make more money playing one big show like that than I would have in two months of teaching," he said. "It was really an eye-opening experience. Of course, at the time it was just me and my guitar going out and playing shows. It was real stupid. I didn't have an agent. I didn't have a manager. I just had people coming out to the shows. I had a couple of buddies who helped me carry my stuff in and helped me set up. So it was just amazing.

"But the Georgia Theatre show taught me that it was completely doable. That it was not a far-off dream that I could become a full-time songwriter and musician."

Known for his revelry-igniting sing-alongs and last-call anthems, the 32-year-old has released six albums via his own record label, Undertone Records, including 2009's Keeping Up with the Joneses, and has slowly graduated from a solo acoustic guitar performer to the leader of a full band: the long-term rhythm section of bassist Rob Henson and drummer Marcus Petruska along with newbies Ty Reynolds on guitar and Lee Davis on piano.

Davis is actually a family friend who played with Smith all those years ago at the talent show where Smith performed "Elvira."

"I'm just now at the point where I could afford to grow and afford to have him out on the road," Smith said. "I'm real happy about that. He brings a lot to the stage and a lot of experience to the road as well."

Just as he shared his life in song he also shares his music. Giving slices for free. Right now there are almost two-dozen tunes available for free on his website, such well-oiled classics as "Drinkin' Again." And he doesn't frown on his fans file sharing his music.

“I want my music to be heard by as many people as possible,” he said. “So I'm just grateful that people are out there spreading it around. It's what's made my career possible.”

But the last couple of years has witnessed a transformation in his career, moving from small clubs to larger rooms, such as House of Blues venues and amphitheaters. And this is where we find Smith now. On the road, playing to his fans and leaving the confines of the conventional country music box far behind.

"From a mindset approach I try to play them all the same way," Smith said. "We still play small clubs where there might be only 100 or 150 people. Some nights we might play in front of 10,000 or 20,000 people, depending on the type of event. But each night I try to store up all my energy through the day and release it while I'm on stage and try to have fun. I try to relish the time I have up there, and so far it keeps me healthier and happier while I'm on the road, and it keeps fans wanting us to come back and share this experience with them."

See the show:

Corey Smith will appear at Riverfest Amphitheatre on Thursday with the music starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale now through all Ticketmaster outlets, charge by phone at (800) 745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are $20 advance and $25 day of show with the tickets available at the amphitheatre box office beginning at 5 p.m. the day of show. The show will go on rain or shine, and no lawn chairs, coolers or umbrellas are allowed.