Seems like Joey Allcorn wasn’t born 50 Years Too Late after all. As predicted by this writer and others who have bought the old EP’s, traded bootleg recordings of live shows, and seen him live, this young singer/songwriter from Columbus, Georgia, is starting to experience a great deal of success. The Not-So-Nashville Star is taking the underground country world by storm&ldots; and he’s just getting started. In case some of you have not heard the name Joey Allcorn, don't wait another minute to become acquainted with this up-and-coming, extremely talented artist. A mere 26 years of age, Allcorn has already been recording and playing real country music for eight years. Yes, real country music. If you are looking for “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” or “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” don’t bother showing up for an Allcorn show. In fact, stay far, far away. This is because he delivers the real thing. His sound reflects country’s golden age when steel guitar and fiddle were still the signature sound of the genre, and when the lyrics actually moved its listeners. Allcorn does not sing soccer-mom fluff&ldots; he screams those old school cheatin-heart-honky-tonk-blues right into the skulls of the fans that long for the real deal. Scream is an appropriate verb choice, for he was influenced by Cobain just as much as he was by the country legends. So, even though he dons the cowboy hat and suit garb that Opry stars sported in the 1950s, Allcorn channels his wide variety of musical influences to ensure that his brand of the Drifting Cowboys sound is up-to-date and original. In October of 2006, Allcorn released his full-length debut album 50 Years Too Late. Both a celebration of country’s past and a glance at a dark, edgy country future, the album was well received by critics and radio, where it continues to receive domestic and international airplay. This is not surprising because in addition to Allcorn’s outstanding country vocals and songwriting, 50 Years also received support from several all-star guests. Hank Williams III and Lonesome Wyatt from Those Poor Bastards both lended their vocal chops to songs on the record, as did master musicians Donnie Herron (BR549, Bob Dylan), Johnny Hiland, Walter Cunningham (Johnny Cash), and Andy Gibson (Hank III’s Damn Band). From the title track to the dark recitation “The Execution,” 50 Years is a wonderful album that, as good as it is, is only the beginning to what should be a long, acclaimed recording career for Allcorn. He has shared the stage with many legendary musicians, including members of Hank Williams’ Drifting Cowboys, Ernest Tubbs’ Texas Troubadours, and Waylon Jennings’ Waymore Blues Band, as well as current alternative/punk country acts Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers, Unknown Hinson, The Dempseys, and Scott H. Biram. However, before 2006, if one wanted to catch his great live show, he or she would have had to plan on making a trip south. The 50 Years tour, for the first time, took the Joey Allcorn experience nationwide, and it is an experience that will continue to spread in the months and years ahead. With no intentions of slowing down anytime soon, the recently appointed "True Country" delegate to the Roots Music Association has big things in store for his fans in the coming months. A new national tour is being planned, and he is beginning work on his second record, tentatively titled 'Honky Tonk Hell', which is due in the spring of 2008. We may not know where the music is going, but thanks to Joey Allcorn, it is alive and well. Old fans, rejoice, and new fans, get ready for a long lonesome ride.