Billy Currington’s Heart Stays Home

Billy Currington photo by Danny Clinch, courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Oct. 13, 2008 — Billy Currington earned a No. 1 hit last year with the Luke Bryan-penned "Good Directions," a song that’s set in rural America.

The small-town atmosphere was appropriate given Billy’s background. He grew up in tiny Rincon, Ga., about 35 miles from the Atlantic coast, and even though he’s earned national attention, Billy has thoughts about eventually returning to his hometown.

"I definitely see myself getting back down to Georgia and living there," he told The Maryville Daily Times of Tennessee. "I want to travel and see as many countries as I can and as many islands as I can, but in the end, I want to be in South Georgia, staring out at the ocean. I just want to stay grounded, and it's the little things that keep me that way."

One of the "little things" Billy does to keep his head on straight is to ignore the big headlines that accompany hit records and stardom.

"It all starts in the mind," he noted. "You can let this fame thing take you over, or you can stop it. I see a lot of people let that go so fast. So many things come out about them in magazines and stuff, and they start believing their own publicity. That's a dangerous thing. I never read stuff that's written about me, and I've never watched a TV show with me on it."

Billy’s having more written about him these days in conjunction with a new album. His CD A Little Bit Of Everything will be released on Tuesday. It includes his current single "Don’t."