AUGUSTA, GA. - Singer-songwriter Corey Smith hails from rural Jefferson, Ga. “We were way out there. I am the first one to graduate college in my family,” Smith said proudly.

Smith became a high school social studies teacher, but found his passion for performing edged in on his life plans. “I started to play throughout the midweek a lot. And sometimes I would have just got home from a show, have to shower and turn right around and leave to teach school.”

He said his double life led him to make a decision. “The music was growing. But at this point, I had a wife and baby. The figures from the shows worked. It calculated out. And by this juncture, I also had a manager. So really it wasn’t any brave risk or anything.”

And like many standout solo artists before him, music has “just always been there.” Smith said, “I remember my dad putting a guitar in my hands when I was very small.”

His father is a guitar player, too. “My dad, Tommy, has played all his life. He did small gigs all over town, though never full-time.”

Smith’s musical tastes are all over the map of melodies. “I honestly can’t say any one music had a big influence on me. I love Southern gospel, and Southern rock, country, and I went through a grunge stage, too.”

But he is sure about his own music. “My writing is all about being observant. I am in touch with myself and life’s struggles, though there’s no such thing as a typical songwriting process for me.”

Smith believes his songs have reach. “I absolutely think my audience feels my honesty. I think it all boils down to lyrics that resonate. I am so honest in my songs sometimes it’s uncomfortable for me.”

Deep into his musical career these days, Smith said his two small boys, Aden and Noah, have really helped in his growth, both personally and professionally.

“I have always written autobiographical, but now I actually think about using a bad word in a song. I don’t want to have to be in the car and turn down my radio when my boys are there. So my music has grown, but I also stay aware of what I am saying, too.”

Smith’s latest album, “Hard-Headed Fool,” will be out June 26. “We are rolling it out digitally first for a month, on iTunes and so forth. The Internet makes the whole music scene more democratic. You can record and create a Web page and start promoting yourself. It’s been great for me.”

In Smith’s case, great is a subdued nod to the media. His Internet-based album titles have had over 200,000 downloads. And his latest addition to a growing list of Internet achievements includes a position as No. 1 unsigned country artist on MySpace.

Smith is so pro-Internet, he admitted, “We are going to see how the new album goes before we even think about creating a physical version.”

Corey Smith w/Shaun Piazza
The Imperial Theatre
Saturday, June 9
7 p.m.
$15
706-722-8341
imperialtheatre.com