Chuck Courtenay has been working the local country music scene for as long as he can remember. Often playing city market with his brother for thousands of tourists. But recently, he pushed out of Savannah traveling across the country, opening for Bellamy Brothers and other big time acts. His next big stop: Music Row in Nashville, where he will prove himself with a new record.

Chuck Courtenay and I stand, half-hidden from the audience, behind a tall stack of large, professional speaker cabinets. To his right, a deep yet low-to-the-ground stage is covered with all manner of musical equipment: guitar amps, microphones on stands, electronic keyboards, a relatively elaborate drum kit, and what appear to be enough coiled black instrument and mic cables to stretch from there at the Island Grill in Port Wentworth to just past Statesboro.
It’s five minutes before his band’s opening slot for legendary country music stars the Bellamy Brothers is set to begin, and the frontman fidgets nervously. His attention darts from the almost full house to the sound engineers, ready at their positions, to his band members, slowly coalescing around the lanky blond singer in preparation for the group’s introduction. As his lead guitarist hands out “good luck” shots of what looks like straight whiskey, Courtenay motions the other members to draw in close and then proclaims—in a voice that sounds both quite sincere and slightly contrived: “This is no dress rehearsal. We are professionals and this is the big time.”
It’s the same motivational statement he’d leaned in and whispered to me a few minutes earlier, and it’s obvious he’s taken this quote from his hero, the late outlaw country-and-western icon Waylon Jennings, to heart. Courtenay is determined to give his all at every gig he plays—whether it’s opening for the Bellamy Brothers in a 300-capacity fun eatery, a featured slot at an outdoor festival (as he’s often done), or a sparsely attended all-night bar gig in some far-off town where he’s essentially unknown.
It’s that determination that not only sets him apart from many Savannah-based acts, but also binds him to the brotherhood of dedicated “lifers,” working musicians who devote all their energy and time to methodically growing their career, one step—or show—at a time.
Courtenay, whose father is a professional singer and musician, got his start at a fairly young age. As the Courtenay Brothers, he and his brother Jason covered soft rock, pop and country hits on acoustic guitars. Their tight vocal harmonies and freshly scrubbed, mainstream appeal served them well, and they quickly became an in-demand act at area bars, restaurants and private functions. Most notably, they performed regularly outdoors in Savannah’s City Market courtyard, where they were seen and heard by thousands of tourists over the years.
However, it’s his own budding future as the leader of this retro-leaning, rock-oriented group (think more Billy Currington or Dierks Bentley than Jason Aldean or Sugarland) that holds the most sway for Courtenay. “It’s only been in the last five years that I’ve really made a push to make a name for myself,” he explains. “I realized a lot of people were really digging my music, so it’s full speed ahead now.”

Read the full story on our latest issue! Click here to subscribe now.
Photography by: Jabberpics