Previewing the Red Clay Jamboree with headliner Corey Smith

Coolray Field will take a day off from balls and strikes on Saturday, July 14, opting instead for ballads and guitars as the first-ever "Red Clay Jamboree" comes to the ballpark. The concert, headlined by Jefferson, Georgia's own Corey Smith, will feature fellow country acts Dustin Lynch, The Farm and Tyler Reeve.

Smith, a rising country, rock and blues singer and guitarist who has released seven albums to date including 2011's The Broken Record, had an idea for the Red Clay Jamboree while attending his first Gwinnett Braves game on Father's Day in 2011.

"I've played a few baseball stadiums before, not many, but there's something special about this one," reflected Smith. "When I sat out there (Coolray Field) a year ago, I was thinking to myself, 'wow, this would be a cool place to do a show.' It's pretty amazing to finally have it come to fruition."

It wasn't too long ago that Smith was hoping to play his songs anywhere, let alone a 10,000 seat baseball stadium. After playing bars in Athens, Georgia as a cover artist throughout his time as a student at the University of Georgia, Smith finished college and became a teacher at nearby North Gwinnett High School. Though successful in his teaching career, he still had a passion to play music, especially his own.

"I taught for four years at North Gwinnett and while I was teaching, I realized that music was something I was always going to be passionate about," admits Smith. "I was always going to do it, no matter whether I was making a living at it or not. I released my first three albums when I was still teaching and gradually just started a following. I was able to bring out crowds to these bars that (wanted) to hear my music, not just cover music."

Though he eventually blew up as an artist in Athens, it was gigs in towns throughout north Georgia that gave Smith his first taste of success with his own music.

"It wasn't until I got out of college that I was able to pick up gigs in places like Dahlonega, or Buford, Lawrenceville, Carrollton, Milledgeville. I was playing those towns before I could get a gig in Athens, oddly enough, even though Athens is my home" said Smith. "I had to work my way back into Athens and things sort of blew up there. But it wasn't easy playing in Athens, I had to convince them."

Smith's reach has gone beyond the borders of his home state with his latest release, 2011's The Broken Record. On the strength of the single "Twenty-One," The Broken Record reached No. 17 on the U.S. Country chart and rose all the way to No. 6 on the U.S. Folk chart. Smith calls the album a continuation of the process of writing about what's important to him rather than what others might expect.

"If I was going to point to one main theme in The Broken Record, it would be the tension between art and commerce, the tension between giving people what they want versus doing what I want. And that tension is more obvious on The Broken Record than in any of my other works."

While dedicated fans can expect to see many songs off The Broken Record on July 14, there's a new song that Smith is especially excited about that appeals to country fans as well as baseball fans. It's called, simply, "The Baseball Song."

As a lifelong Atlanta Braves fan, Smith drew upon his own experiences with family and baseball, along with inspiration from Braves players themselves when writing the song.

"My memories were always in the summertime, hanging out with my grandfather and the Braves always being on. Our highs and lows of the summer revolved around what was going on with the Braves. I wrote "The Baseball Song" about baseball and fatherhood. I thought about players like Chipper (Jones) who have devoted much of their lives to this pastime and what it must be like to be them and look back on their careers."

After "The Baseball Song" attracted a huge response on his website, Smith decided to reach out to the Braves about making a video.

"I started having these dreams of hearing (the song) at the ballpark, and having baseball fans hear it. A few phone calls later, I was talking with Derek Schiller (Braves Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing) and had a meeting with Scott Cunningham (Braves Director of Game Entertainment) and they made it happen. They came up and recorded a video and it's been played at Turner Field. It's a dream come true, it's pretty amazing."

When the Red Clay Jamboree arrives on July 14 at Coolray Field, Smith will have the chance to combine his lifelong passions for live music and baseball into one unforgettable headlining performance.

"I think that live music is like baseball, something that is a pastime that we can get out and enjoy and forget about our worries for a little while and transcend a little bit, connect with people," said Smith. "I just encourage them to get out and find out a little about my music beforehand, see if it's something that flips their switches and come out and enjoy themselves."

For more information on Corey Smith, including tour dates, merchandise and more, visit his website at CoreySmith.com. Tickets for July 14's Red Clay Jamboree at Coolray Field are now on sale by visiting the Coolray Field Box Office, calling (678) 277-0340 or visiting GwinnettBraves.com.