If you’re a fan of country music, you've likely heard of Billy Dean.

The country singer-songwriter will be making a rare trip to North Georgia as he performs at The Venue at Friendship Springs 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14.

“I think we've got some fans up there,” said Dean, who lives in Florida and said he hasn’t played much in North Georgia.

Tickets for the concert, put on by Metro Market Media Events, are $35.

Dean was discovered on the TV show “Star Search” in 1988 and took off from there. He signed on with Columbia Records and released his debut album, “Young Man,” in 1990. He’s had more than 20 hit singles on the Billboard country charts, including 11 Top Ten hits.

He’s planning to bring it all to the show in Flowery Branch, but in a stripped-down, acoustic performance.

“My favorite thing is really up close and personal and intimate kinds of settings,” Dean said.

He said he’s bringing “the story telling of the 90s” to the show, which is why he enjoys the intimate settings most.

“I'm from the South, so I've got a lot of funny stories behind some of the hits,” Dean said. “So hopefully if people are into that, they'll be pulling into (the show).”

He’s “cut from the James Taylor mold of guitar playing” and draws his inspiration from the 1970s, when he was growing up. 

“I started out as a guitar player first, then sang kind of out of necessity, and then started writing songs out of necessity, too,” Dean said. “I think if you're a guitar enthusiast, or anybody who likes that Americana singer-songwriter type of music, I think this (show) would be something cool to see.”

The way he likes to do his shows so he’s able to appeal to everybody, even those that don’t know his music, is by playing music by other people. He’ll play some Paul Simon, Dan Fogelberg or Christopher Cross, and then play his own songs to show how his music was inspired by them and others.

“People can kind of see the connection,” Dean said. “I was listening to the Doobie Brothers’ ‘Black Water’ when I wrote ‘Billy the Kid.’ So it gives me the chance to kind of play that kind of music, which I love to do, and sort of tells people where I come from and what I grew up listening to.”

Dean’s hits include songs like “Only Here for a Little While,” “Somewhere in My Broken Heart,” “Billy the Kid” and “Thank God I'm a Country Boy,” among others.

He said he’s excited to bring those hits along with his stories to everyone in North Georgia.

“To me, it's just about an evening of some laughs, some thought and hopefully some good guitar picking and reliving some of those hits from the 90s.”