After serving time as an American Idol, Alabama-bred musician Bo Bice is back to doing what he does best -- playing Southern rock.

Mr. Bice, the first runner-up in the fourth season of American Idol, will perform Sunday at the Columbia County Amphitheater.

"Everything I write, everything I play, is from Alabama," Mr. Bice said in a recent telephone interview. "So yes, it does have a very Southern feel. I did not invent Southern rock and I'm not bringing it back. It never left. Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers and Marshall Tucker gave me my career."

Touring behind his self-written and self-produced 2007 release, See the Light , Mr. Bice has put Idol behind him. The record is full of heavy guitar, barroom blues and Southern boogie. He said that his first post-Idol release, 2005's The Real Thing, contained little of that. The songs were mostly written by others and slickly produced.

Still, Mr. Bice is hesitant to dismiss the Idol experience.

"I do have to give this disclaimer," he said. "I wouldn't have a career without American Idol . It's a big part of my past, and I'm grateful for it. But I'm also grateful for the opportunity to stand on my own now."

After his release from RCA, Mr. Bice decided he would take control of his career and produce the music he wanted to hear and have heard. He said there was a sense of urgency, because he understood that any recognition he received from Idol would have a limited shelf life.

"I built my own studio. I started my own label. I was adamant about producing. And it wasn't about making a No. 1 or writing hits. But I did want to strike while the iron was hot. The thing is, I'd much rather go down with the ship if I'm the one holding the wheel."

Mr. Bice said he was surprised by how far he made it on Idol. He acknowledged that the series is firmly rooted in pop music, and he is unapologetic in his love of rock. He argues he made it as far as he did because he can deliver a song live.

"Live is still where we shine," he said. "Our gimmick, when we were touring The Real Thing , was that the girls would bring the men out to the first show, but then the men would bring the girls to the next five. We had a lot of female fans from Idol and a lot of guy fans from the live shows."

Mr. Bice said that playing live is what appealed to him for 15 years before he stepped onto the American Idol stage and that it's what continues to drive him.

"I realize that without those people, I would still be managing a guitar store," he said. "Sure, I would love to sell a million units and I would love to have a Grammy on the mantel. But that's never been what drives me. The fans, at the end of the day, are what we are there for."

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.