How would you feel if superstar Shania Twain called and invited you to sing a duet?

Rising country singer Billy Currington could hardly believe it when that amazing moment happened to him.

"It kind of came out of the blue," said Currington. "I will never forget her asking me to do the duet with her. I knew before it even happened that it would be something that would help turn my career around and set it on a great path. That was the turning point for me. Another blessing in my life I am thankful for."

Their duet, called "Party For Two," was recorded especially for “Twain's Greatest Hits CD,” which sold over six million copies worldwide. It went on to become a Top Ten country hit single.

As a solo artist, Currington has had hit songs of his own including "Good Directions" and "Must Be Doing Something Right," which both went to number one on the country charts.

"I think I started playing and singing in church when I was a kid,” Currington said as he remembered his early beginnings. “But I never thought much about being an artist. I didn't even know much about it until I was in high school. That's when I started playing guitar and singing for friends."

Long before his Nashville glory, Currington grew up in a small town with a population of less than five thousand people. It was a town in which everyone would know everything about everyone else who lived there. With that said, the folks in Currington’s hometown of Rincon, Georgia encouraged the young singer’s talent.

"People started saying, 'Hey, you need to move to Nashville.' So, I just started thinking that way myself. When I was seventeen, I knew I wanted to graduate, get out of high school, get up to Tennessee and check it out," Currington said.

Currington eventually auditioned for the world famous Opryland four times, but never made the cut.

"It was a great experience going through things like that because it kind of toughens the soul,” Currington explained. "Looking back, I'm glad it didn't happen for me then. It really was a blessing that it didn't work out that way because so many other things started opening up."

His first single "Walk A Little Straighter" became a Top Ten country hit, but touched on abuse he suffered from an alcoholic stepfather.

"I wrote part of it when I was a kid and finished it later on, right before I finished my first album. And I never planned on that song even being on an album and for sure never planned on it being a single on the radio. It just kind of happened that way. It touched a lot of people," he said.

In addition to his musical talents, some compare Currington’s looks to movie star Matthew McConaughey, which strikes him as funny.

"I can of laugh at it. I never looked at myself as some sexy country singer or something. But the fact that it kind of happened that way, I'll take it," Currington laughed.

When asked if he would accept an acting role if Hollywood called, Currington admits it would be tempting.

"I want to keep making records as long as I have that opportunity,” he said. “But also I've always had an interest in acting. I look forward to doing a movie someday. I feel like that's waiting in the wings for me. I don't know where or when, but I don't think it's too far away. "

Songwriting is still a bit of a mystery for Currington, but he enjoys learning it on-the-job as a working professional.

"Songs come to me in different ways. Sometimes I'll hear people say something, and it will just be a couple of words or a line or whatever and I will go write it down and mess with it later. Sometimes, I'm just sitting with a guitar playing a melody and a melody tends to bring out lyrics. There is just so many ways. [There's] never one way to write a song."

While out on tour, Currington likes to turn up the heat a bit for his audience.

"As far as the live show, it's exciting,” said Currington. “It's very energetic. A great band playing great music and people tend to get crazy at our shows for some reason. I don't know how that happens, but somewhere about three quarters of the way through, there's no telling what you're going to see."

Currington is scheduled to perform at 8 p.m. on July 30 at the Texas Club. Before the show, you can check him out at www.myspace.com/billycurrington or www.billycurrington.com.


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