Rapper Antwan André Patton, best known by stage name Big Boi, will headline this August's inaugural Druid City Music Festival, with Southern-country-rock band Blackberry Smoke. Both headliners call Atlanta home.

Presale of discount-price Druid City Music Festival tickets began at 8 a.m. Friday, through Ticketmaster and the site www.dcmf2019.com. For one week they cost $70, plus applicable service charges; on Feb. 1, they go up to $78 plus charges. Closer to August, tickets will rise to $85. VIP packages will be $185, regardless of when purchased, offering preferred viewing, exclusive merchandise and other items. Wristbands will be shipped out from Ticketmaster after May 1.

Big Boi, who rose to fame as half of Outkast with high school friend Andre "3000" Benjamin, was recently announced as one of the acts playing halftime at the Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3. The rapper will close out the Druid City Music Festival on Saturday night Aug. 24 at Government Plaza, a day that begins with local classic-rock cover band Graystone, followed by:

• Rolling Stone-acclaimed roots-rockers Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires

• Tuscaloosa progressive-rock jam band CBDB

• Memphis soul-blues-rock band Southern Avenue

• New York-based rock-jazz-hip-hop quartet TAUK

• Electronica duo Break Science

• Nine-piece funk-rock-psychedelic band Turkuaz

• Blackberry Smoke, whose fifth studio disc "Like an Arrow" shot to No. 1 on U.S. country and Americana/folk charts, and also topped United Kingdom rock and independent album charts, and whose 2018 album "Find a Light" similarly went to No. 2 or 3 on country, rock and indie charts.

Contracts have been signed and checks received. Though there's still seven months' worth of runup to the festival, establishing vendors and merchandising, marketing and more, Don Staley, president and CEO of Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports, which is creating the event, looks at today as a moment to celebrate.

"When I came to (the University of) Alabama I ordered the first pencil, and recruited the first player, and won our first game, back in '94," Staley said, referring to his years founding and coaching the women's soccer team. "We started it from scratch.

"The day the whistle blew, we put our kids on the field, and we won. That's the epiphany moment." And it's like the day the Foley Foley Sports Tourism Complex he spearheaded opened, after about three years of work, he added.

"That's how I feel today, that we can announce these names, and brag about all these folks that have brought us to this point," he said, noting that without the full support of Mayor Walt Maddox, who spurred the idea, city of Tuscaloosa employees such as Tera Tubbs and Stacy Vaughn, production consultant Cameron Moss, concessions and merchandising consultant Heather Roberts, along with dozens of others who've contributed ideas, funding and other backing for the project, the Druid City Music Festival wouldn't be where it is now.

"I just am so pleased with the overall diversity in music genres for this event," he said, noting that both headliners, and several marquee names down the line, have played major festivals in recent years, and would love to land some of these for their own marquees.

With Outkast, one of the world's most successful hip-hop acts, Big Boi cut six chart-topping studio discs and a greatest-hits album, won six Grammys and sold more than 25 million records worldwide. Their singles "Ms. Jackson," "Hey Ya!," "The Way You Move" became worldwide No. 1, platinum-sellers. Outkast also broke into Top 10 charts with "Roses," "Player's Ball," "ATLiens," "Elevators (Me & You)," "So Fresh, So Clean," "Jazzy Belle" and "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik." Though the duo reunited briefly for a tour in 2014, they've been working independently since at least 2003's "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below," essentially a pair of solo albums released under the Outkast name.

In 2005, Big Boi worked with Southern hip-hop supergroup Purple Ribbon All-Stars, joining Killer Mike, Sleepy Brown, Konkrete, BlackOwned C-Bone, Rock D and Vonnegutt, going top 40 with their single "Kryptonite (I'm On It)." After Outkast's sixth studio disc, 2007's "Idlewild," Big Boi cut a number of solo singles, featuring guests including Andre 3000, Gucci Mane, Janelle Monae, Raekwon, George Clinton, Too Short and Big Rube.

His debut solo disc, release delayed by legal issues with his previous record label, came out in 2010: "Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty." It went to No. 3 on U.S. rap, R&B and hip-hop charts. Subsequent Big Boi albums "Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors" (2012) and "Boomiverse" (2017) also went top 10 on rap, hip-hop and R&B charts. His biggest singles as lead artist include "Shutterbugg" (with Cutty), "Royal Flush" (with Andre 3000 and Raekwon), "Sumthin's Gotta Give" (with Mary J. Blige), and "All Night" (with Lunchmoney Lewis). As featured artist, he can be heard on other hits including Missy Elliott's "All n My Grill," Killer Mike's "A.D.I.D.A.S.." Goodie Mob's "Dirty South," Fantasia's "Hood Boy," and Brooke Valentine's "Girlfight."

Recent Big Boi setlists show him performing a mix of Outkast, Purple Ribbon All-Stars and solo work, topped by "Ms. Jackson," "So Fresh, So Clean," "B.O.B.," "The Way You Move," "ATLiens," "Shutterbugg," "Kryptonite (I'm On It)" and "Rosa Parks" as some of the most-played.

While working up to headlining status, Blackberry Smoke has toured with Southern-rock legends such as Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top, and worked with Gov't Mule, Zac Brown Band and Eric Church. After early albums in 2003 and 2009, the quintet broke into charts with its third disc, 2012's "The Whipporwill," No. 8 country, No. 10 indie and No. 12 rock. The 2015 Blackberry Smoke album "Holding All the Roses," the band's first on its own 3 Legged Records, went to No. 1 country and No. 7 rock in the U.S., along with No. 1 rock in the UK.

Their 2013 single "Pretty Little Lie" is their highest-charting to date, at No. 48 country. Led by chief singer-songwriter-guitarist Charlie Starr, born in Chambers County, Alabama, near the Georgia border, Blackberry Smoke has been compared to Southern-rock progenitors Lynyrd Skynyrd, but also noted for jazz, folk and blues inflections, suggesting an Allman Brothers Band influence. Former Black Crowes lead singer Chris Robinson suggested the band's name to Starr, at a time when the groups were sharing a rehearsal space.

The band will perform its first-ever series of acoustic shows this spring, following release last year of "Find a Light" and the fall 2018 EP "The Southern Ground Sessions," with guests including Amanda Shires. Those wrap long before the DCMF appearance. Live, Blackberry Smoke plays mostly originals, though they'll sometimes throw in covers of Willie Nelson's "Yesterday's Wine," the Beatles' "Come Together," the Band's "Cripple Creek," or oldies by Skynyrd, the Rolling Stones, George Jones or Aerosmith, among others.

In addition to the Saturday acts named last week, Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Thursday named Turkuaz, Break Silence and TAUK to the lineup, noting each of them also has been prominently featured in established major festivals over the past year.

The first Druid City Music Festival, in the planning and creation for roughly two years now, will also feature an earlier-in-the-day Battle of the Bands, for six to eight local acts, sponsored by Lance Hocutt Financial Group, to be held at the River Market from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. that Saturday.

On opening night, Friday Aug. 23, there'll be rock, pop, blues, soul, bluegrass, classical and contemporary Christian music spread over locations including Alcove International Tavern, Black Warrior Brewing Co., The Booth, The Bridge, Copper Top, Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center, The District Room, Druid City Brewing Co., Green Bar, Harrison Galleries, the Bama Theatre, Hotel Indigo, Innisfree Irish Pub, Loosa Brews, Rhythm & Brews, Roxy’s, UPerk, Wilhagan’s and Wheelhouse Pub. Bands and acts booked include Smooth Hound Smith, AFTM, Lamont Landers Band, Barbaro, Justin Oliver, Early James & the Latest, Talking Animals, BJ Reed & Company, Matt Jones, Elliott Davis Band, Caroline Shines & the Impulse, Wes Lee, Shawn Byrne, Plato Jones, Chad Smith Band, Farmer’s Daughter, Spoonful James, Henri’s Notions, Caleb Elliott, Meghan McMillian, 4G Band, DJ Roxy, The B-Sides, Alright-Alright-Alright, Rabbit Branch, Casie Jo & the No Joes, Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra, Druid City Jazz Masters, DieDra the Alabama Blues Queen, and The Bridge Band.

"We're poised to be Alabama's premier summer music festival," said Barrett Elder, TTS marketing and communications manager. "We're thrilled.

"I feel like I've been working on this forever, but it's just getting started."