Seeing Teddy Gentry at Augusta Riverfront Marina recently made me realize it had been 28 years since The Augusta Chronicle published the first interview with the lead guitarist for the group Alabama.

The group has enjoyed superstar success since then, but some things never change: Mr. Gentry still comes across as that same nice, down-to-Earth guy he was back in July 1980, a time when the group was just the house band for The Bowery nightclub at Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Mr. Gentry and I talked about those old times May 4 at A Day in the Country Festival. He was there in support of new artist Eric Durrance, whose recordings Mr. Gentry is producing.

By the time I crossed Alabama's path in early summer 1980, the band already had released the independent singles I Wanna Be With You Tonight (1977) and I Wanna Come Over (1979) and My Home's in Alabama (1980).

Mr. Gentry and his cousins Randy Owen and Jeff Cook hired Mark Herndon in 1979 as the band's drummer. He was playing with a hard-rock band at the Whippin' Post nightclub in the 600 block of Broad Street when he got the phone call that changed his life and made him a rich man.

Alabama's two independent singles had generated some interest in the country music world, with RCA Records finally signing Alabama to a contract in March 1980 and releasing the band's debut RCA single, Tennessee River , that May 16.

These days, Mr. Gentry said, he is more satisfied working in the recording business behind the scenes than being on stage in the spotlight.

"Just production and writing is what I mainly do now," Mr. Gentry said. "That's what I love doing. I just co-produced the Songs 4 Worship: Country album for Time-Life with Mike Curtis, and Josh Leo and I co-produced Emerson Drive's recording Moments that just went No. 1."

Mr. Gentry is also producing Florida singer Mr. Durrance's debut album for New York City-based Wind-up Records, due out in September.

While talking with Mr. Gentry, I asked whether his Grammy Award-winning band still worked with its June Jam music festival in the members' hometown of Fort Payne, Ala., near Chattanooga, Tenn.

"No, we quit doing that in 1997 after 15 years of having it," he said. "It got so big that it became unmanageable as far as trying to make any money out of it. But we probably were able to donate $2.5 (million) to $3 million to local charities over the years because of it."

Don Rhodes has written about country music for 37 years. He can be reached at (706) 823-3214 or at don.rhodes@morris.com.