Singer-songwriter Corey Smith has announced a new headlining tour for 2017, kicking off in January, titled the Great Wide Underground Tour.

Beginning in Monroe, La., the artist is hitting 26 cities in the East and Midwest U.S., wrapping March 18 in Savannah, Ga.

The tour, Smith says, is an extension of who he is — raw and honest to the core — and a thank you to the fans that have helped him follow that path of independence over the years.

"Popularity has never been as important to me as authenticity,” he explains in a press release. "Although that has been a costly mindset in terms of short-term commercial success, it has been a tremendous benefit in terms of long-term creative freedom. The Great Wide Underground Tour and the album I have in the works are a celebration of that freedom in many ways."

The full list of tour dates is below. Tickets go on sale Dec. 2, with a pre-sale beginning Nov. 28. Get the details at Smith's official website.

Smith has been in the business for over a decade, building a dedicated fan base and putting out 10 albums thus far. He’s currently in the studio working on his 11th record, his second with Sugar Hill Records. Though he’s always hit a little left of center when it comes to country music trends, he says he’s excited about the future of the genre.

"I'm very optimistic right now because it feels like tastes are beginning to shift again,” Smith says. “There are a lot of people who are disenchanted by the state of mainstream country, who are tired of being pandered to, sick of the cookie-cutter singles and crave genuine music that resonates on a deeper level."

Corey Smith Great Wide Underground Tour Dates:

Jan. 19 -- Monroe, La. @ Live Oaks Bar and Ballroom
Jan. 20 -- Baton Rouge, La. @ Texas Club
Jan. 21 -- Little Rock, Ark. @ Revolution Music Room
Jan. 25 -- Starkville, Miss. @ Rick’s Café
Jan. 26 -- Oxford, Miss. @ The Lyric Oxford
Jan. 27 -- Tuscaloosa, Ala. @ Druid City Music Hall
Jan. 28 -- Greenville, S.C. @ The Blind Horse Saloon
Feb. 2 -- Columbia, S.C. @ Music Farm Columbia
Feb. 3 -- Charleston, S.C. @ Music Farm Charleston
Feb. 4 -- Macon, Ga. @ Cox Capitol Theatre
Feb. 8 -- New York, N.Y. @ Bowery Ballroom
Feb. 10 -- Philadelphia, Pa. @ Union Transfer
Feb. 11 -- Cambridge, Mass. @ The Sinclair
Feb. 12 -- Baltimore, Mary. @ Baltimore Soundstage
Feb. 17 -- Birmingham, Ala @ Iron City
Feb. 24 -- Mobile, Ala. @ Saenger Theatre
Feb. 25 -- Tifton, Ga. @ The Gin
March 1 -- Carbondale, Ill. @ Copper Dragon
March 2 -- Louisville, Ky. @ Mercury Ballroom
March 3 -- Cincinnati, Ohio @ Bogart’s
March 4 -- Bloomington, Ind. @ Bluebird Nightclub
March 9 -- Columbus, Ohio @ Newport Music Hall
March 10 - Chicago, Ill. @ Joe’s Bar
March 11 -- Springfield, Ill. @ Boondocks Pub
March 17 -- Kissimmee, Fla. - Osceola Heritage Park
March 18 -- Savannah, Ga. @ The Stage on Bay

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