Rocklahoma 2023 has come and gone, and it was an event for the record books. With over 60,000 guests in attendance, and multiple musical acts, it was a sight to behold.
Black Stone Cherry was one of the bands to grace the stage at this year’s event. The group formed in 2001 in Edmonton, Kentucky.
Chris Robertson, and John Fred Young (son of the Kentucky Headhunters’ rhythm guitarist Richard Young)startedplayingmusic together in their teens. A few years later, Ben Wells and Steve Jewell joined the band.
Robertson said the name for the band was an inspiration from a box of cigars.
“We were talking about names, and one of us was holding a Blackstone brand box of cigars,” he said. “It was cherry flavor. That’s when the idea for the name came up. We just split the name to Black Stone.”
The band recorded a few cover songs. Two of the cover songs are “What’s love got to do with it” originally done by TinaTurnerand“Givemeone reason” originally performed by Tracy Chapman.
Robertson said they chose those songs to do the covers for because they were “rocking songs.” They changed the ending to “Give me one reason” to put their own spin to the song.
One of their original songs titled “Nervous” seems to be a hit with the fans. Robertson said he believes it’s because they can relate to the words. Robertson said that when they write the songs, their main hope is for the fans to be able to connect with the lyrics. They tend to write about many things that people go through in life, and they plan on following that protocol in the future.
Robertson said he always loves it when they are able to play at Rocklahoma. He loves the smaller venue to be able to connect with his fans, and it’s always “a lot of fun.”