I've never seen it before. Any ideas?

Could be Lindera benzoin ..

http://www.plantsystematics.or...

http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/plant...

Not sure about the bark ..

http://woodyplants.wikidot.com...

http://www.missouribotanicalga...

Carolina Buckthorn is a similar understory tree that grows in Cherokee County.

http://www.wildflower.org/plan...

http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio4...

http://www.carolinanature.com/...

Thank you both. I'll see if fruits appear on this one during the coming months.

I swear it is shouting Magnolia sp. at me...

Any closeups of those buds?

I took the photo at the house of a fellow master gardener and I don't get out to that part of the country very often. Next time I'm out there, though, I'll see what I can do.

My Carolina Buckthorns have already stopped blooming and are forming the green berries. Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) foliage has a distinct fragrance...a bit spicy fragrance, hence the common name. If you tear a leaf, you'll smell it. The foliage has even been used as a spice at times. It's a host plant for a butterfly, the Spicebush Swallowtail. They bloom in spring.
One of my Carolina Buckthorn blooming:

My Spicebush:

I'm thinking tupelo.