“Hunter Lawley is one of the most funny and talented people I have ever known and I love his blue-grass country music, especially his original songs.”

Those were the words of Carrie Smitherman Upton, who has been a fan of Hunter Lawley for many years.

At a recent get-together, Lawley said he was born and grew up in Montevallo and went to its public schools and the University of Montevallo.

He said he has always known his life’s work would be in entertainment. Lawley said inspiration and encouragement came from friends, especially a big group of guys who played together at UM.

Lawley is certainly gaining favor, successes and momentum in the country music world. According to information on his web site, he and his band have opened for acts such as Cross Canadian Ragweed, Eric Church, BlackBerry Smoke and Tony Joe White. They have played at Workplay Theatre, The Flora-Bama, The War Eagle Supper Club, and they perform frequently at The Main Street Tavern in Montevallo.

“Hunter is exceptionally funny, his music is great, and he’s professional,” said Jeff Webster, owner of The Tavern. “He’s extremely busy, but we get him whenever we can. He has a huge following.”

The artist’s second album, “Graysville,” was released just this year. A favorite song in that album is the toe-tapping “Honky Tonk Heaven,” written by Lawley and Hardie McGehee.

“Graysville” was produced with the help of Michael Panepento, who produced the latest Temptations’ release. The two albums, “The Living Room Session” and “Graysville,” are available on iTunes and Amazon.com.

Lawley plays the acoustic guitar and sings along with band members Allen Stone, lead guitar and back-up vocalist; Stephen Owens, bass guitar and back-up vocalist; and Chris Brown, drummer. Most are full-time artists and they perform four, sometimes five, nights a week.

The band is scheduled to play on Aug. 5 at OT’s on Acton Road, Aug. 6 at The Rare Martini in Birmingham, and on Aug. 7 at The War Eagle Supper Club in Auburn.

For more information on Lawley and the band, go to Hunterlawley.com or facebook.com/hunterlawley.