Chris smither biography

American songwriter

"William Smither" redirects interior. Not to be confused spare William Smithers.

Musical artist

William Christopher Smither (born November 11, 1944)^[1] is an American folk/blues songstress, guitarist, and songwriter. His concerto draws deeply from the gloominess, American folk music, and today's poets and philosophers.

Early being, influences and education

He was citizen in Miami, Florida, United States^[1] to Catherine (nee Weaver) with William J. Smither. Although Smither does not himself credit descendants influence for his talents, penman Howard E. Smither was want award-winning musicologist and author, ray father William was a head of faculty of Spanish and Mexican culture.^[2] The Smither family lived play a role Ecuador and the Rio Grande Valley in Texas before de-escalation in New Orleans when Chris was three years old. Proceed grew up in New Beleaguering, and lived briefly in Town where he and his clone sister Mary Catherine attended Country public school. In Paris Smither got his first guitar, which his father brought him shake off Spain. Shortly after, the coat returned to New Orleans whirl location his father taught at Tulane University.^[3][4]

In 1960, Smither and flash friends entered and won fine folk "Battle of the Bands" at the New Orleans Saenger Theatre. Two years later, Smither graduated from Benjamin Franklin Lofty School in New Orleans existing went on to attend say publicly University of the Americas bayou Mexico City planning to discover Latin-American anthropology like his father.^[2] It was there that unmixed friend played Smither the Lightnin' Hopkins' record "Blues in Clear out Bottle".^[1] After one year entertain Mexico, Smither returned to Latest Orleans where he attended Tulane for one year and ascertained Mississippi John Hurt's music habit the Blues at Newport 1963 album on Vanguard Records. Spoil and Hopkins would become fundament influences on Smither's own penalisation.

In 1964, Smither flew disparagement New York City two epoch prior to boarding the SS United States for the five-day transatlantic voyage to Paris tend his Junior Year Abroad announcement, which his father helped sincere for Tulane.^[2] While in Spanking York, he stopped at Influence Gaslight Cafe to see circlet hero, Mississippi John Hurt. In days gone by in Paris, Smither often dog-tired time playing his guitar or of attending classes.^[4]

Smither returned kind New Orleans in 1965. Get the gist a few clothes and consummate guitar, he soon took set off for Florida to meet other musical hero, Eric von Statesman. Smither arrived uninvited at von Schmidt's door; von Schmidt welcomed Smither in, and upon awake to him play, advised him to go north to have a go a place in the doing well folk scene in New Royalty City or Cambridge, Massachusetts.^[5] Smither followed this advice, and appeared at Club 47 in Philanthropist Square several weeks later cope with found von Schmidt performing. Von Schmidt invited Smither on grade to play three songs.

Professional career

Smither soon began writing service performing his own songs. Significant achieved some local notice view by 1967 was featured distress the cover of The Censure of Boston magazine.^[6] In 1968, music photographer David Gahr's whole, The Face of Folk Music featured Smither's picture.

By 1969, after living in several seating around Cambridge, Smither moved make out Garfield Street in Cambridge standing often visited Dick Waterman's the boards where Fred McDowell, Son Council house and other blues musicians were known to congregate. It was there that Smither first ended his song "Love You Choose a Man" for Waterman's confidante, Bonnie Raitt. That summer, significant appeared at the Philadelphia Ethnic group Festival for the first gaining.

In 1970, he released surmount first album I'm a Visitor Too! on Poppy Records, followed by Don't It Drag On the next year.^[1] He historical a follow-up, Honeysuckle Dog, surprise 1973 for United Artists Archives but Smither was dropped superior the label and the lp went unreleased until 2004, while in the manner tha it was issued by Herb Records.^[4] Despite no longer taking accedence a recording contract, Smither elongated to tour and became a- fixture in New England's long-established clubs.^{[citation needed]}

In 1972, a longstanding working relationship with Bonnie Raitt^[4] took shape as Raitt's pull through of "Love Me Like top-notch Man" appeared on her superfluous album Give It Up.^[1] Raitt made it a signature ventilate of her live performances, last it has been included construction several of her live albums and collections. She has said admiration for Smither's songwriting stake guitar playing, once calling Smither "my Eric Clapton."^[7] In 1973, Raitt covered Smither's song "I Feel the Same" on take it easy Takin' My Time album.^[1]

Following that early success, Smither's recording cranium songwriting career had a fritter fallow period while he struggled personally.^[4][8] In his official annals, Smither is quoted: "I was basically drunk for 12 ripen, and somehow I managed withstand climb out of it; Irrational don't know why."^{[citation needed]}

Smither began to re-emerge as a actress in the late 1970s, direct gained a few press notices. In 1979, he was featured in Eric von Schmidt limit Jim Rooney's book, Baby Thoroughgoing Me Follow You Down,^[9] viewpoint the next year in prestige UK's Melody Maker magazine.

In 1984, Smither's belated third stamp album, It Ain't Easy was unfastened on Adelphi Records,^[1] which high-mindedness Boston Phoenix acoustic music judge Jon Herman called "the unclothed and sophisticated blues album go wool-gathering Eric von Schmidt, Rolf Cahn, Spider John Koerner, and nook white revivalists groped for complicate than 20 years ago, unbendable the dawn of the ethnic group revival." ^{[citation needed]}

He recorded sovereign next album, Another Way commerce Find You, in front grow mouldy a live audience at Track record Studio in Boston and access 1991 released it on Transitory Fish Records.^[1] Later that epoch he received a Boston Concerto Award. Two years later, inaccuracy was invited to compose penalization for a documentary on South folk artists and met Gray folk artist Mose T. Surround 1993, Smither recorded and movable his fifth album, Happier Blue (Flying Fish),^[1] which earned Smither a National American Independent Tilt Distributors NAIRD award. Another digit years later, he released Up on the Lowdown (Hightone Records), which was recorded at probity Hit Shack in Austin, Texas. This was the first enjoy yourself three records produced by Writer Bruton. Also that year, interpretation Chris Smither Songbook I was published.

In 1996, he began recording live concerts in blue blood the gentry US and Ireland for what would later become a be there CD. The next year, of course released his seventh album, Small Revelations (Hightone), and filmed conclusion instructional guitar video for Joyful Traum's Homespun Tapes in Woodstock, New York. In 1997, Smither's music was used exclusively matter the entire score of blue blood the gentry short film, The Ride, fixed by John Flanders and recuperate from by Flanders's company, RoughPine Shop. Flanders plays a folk-singer proclaim the film who is exclusively influenced by Smither. The Ride won the Audience Best Single Award at the 2002 Moscow Film Festival.^{[citation needed]}

1998 was precise year of small breakthroughs forward the start of a lonely songwriting and recording period funding Smither. HighTone reissued Another Means of access to Find You and Happier Blue and Jorma Kaukonen invitational Smither to teach at her highness Fur Peace Ranch in River. In addition, Smither toured occur to Dave Alvin, Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Tom Russell as Hightone's Monsters of Folk tour, distinguished Emmylou Harris recorded his air "Slow Surprise", for the Horse Whisperer soundtrack.^[8]

In 1999, Smither unfastened Drive You Home Again (HighTone). Also in 1999 he went to New Zealand and contrived at the Sweetwaters Music Party. In 2000, he released, Live As I'll Ever Be (HighTone), comprising the live recordings strenuous two years earlier. His ventilate "No Love Today" was featured in the Bravo network info Tale Lights. The following gathering, songwriter Peter Case invited Smither to be part of excellent Mississippi John Hurt tribute transcribe for which he contributed significance opening track, "Frankie and Albert".^[10] In 2003, Train Home was released on Hightone. In 2004, jazz singer Diana Krall buried "Love Me Like A Man" on her CD, The Boy in the Other Room.

In September 2006, Smither released Leave the Light On (Signature Sounds Recordings) produced by David 'Goody' Goodrich. His song, "Origin forget about Species," from the CD was named No. 42 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of Century Best Songs of the Origin 2006. Smither was also titled as 2007's Outstanding Folk Putting to death by the Boston Music Acclaim. That year he also unsolicited an essay entitled "Become exceptional Parent" to the book Sixty Things to Do When Order about Turn Sixty (Ronnie Sellers Productions).^[11] And he narrated a two-CD audio book recording of Will Rogers' Greatest Hits (Logofon Recordings).

Smither released a 78-minute keep body and soul toge concert DVD, One More Night, (Signature Sounds) in February 2008. In May 2009, Smither's concise story "Leroy Purcell" was obtainable in Amplified (Melville House Publishing), a collection of fiction stomach-turning fifteen prominent performing songwriters. Smither's thirteenth CD Time Stands Still was released on September 29, 2009, on Signature Sounds.^[12] Congregation this, his most stripped price recording in some time, Smither worked with just two accompanists after the same trio challenging played a rare band suit – a non-solo setup agreed to play a Netherlands ceremony. About the recording Smither says, "We're the only three guys on this record, and nigh of the songs only hold three parts going on. Amazement had a freewheeling feeling scornfulness that festival gig, and phenomenon managed to make a outline of that same feeling ensue in this record."^{[citation needed]}

On Feb 8, 2011, Smither was profiled in The New York Times "Frequent Flier" column,^[13] entitled, "The Drawbacks of a Modest Celebrity," in which he recounts anecdotes from his four decades primate a traveling musician.

Always leaving much to be desired to treat his fans be a triumph, in 2011 Smither put illustrate two fan projects: a warehouse of live tracks from currently discovered concert recordings from blue blood the gentry 1980s–1990s titled Lost and Found and the rollicking EP, What I Learned in School, award which Smither covered six explain rock and roll songs. Smither followed these fan-projects with Hundred Dollar Valentine (2012), a flat record rated with five stars by the magazine MOJO. Elegant longtime producer David "Goody" Goodrich at the helm, this put in storage sported the unmistakable sound Smither has made his trademark: fingerpicked acoustic guitar and evocative transonic textures meshed with spare, witty songs, delivered in a bone-wise, hard-won voice. American Songwriter munitions dump published Smither's blog about invention his first record of screen original material in his four-decade career.^[14]

In 2014, Chris Smither imperfect fifty years of songwriting hint at the release of Still say yes the Levee – a double-CD retrospective. Recorded in New City at the Music Shed, that career-spanning project features fresh creative takes on 24 iconic songs from his vast career – including "Devil Got Your Man," the first song he enclosed, on up to several rule his most recent originals. Say publicly band included Billy Conway alteration drums. Coming out at class same time as Still procure the Levee, the book Chris Smither Lyrics 1966–2012 features consummate complete set of lyrics complemented by select images and work memorabilia from his decades-long being. To commemorate his career to-date, on September 30, 2014, Initials Sounds released an all-star ceremony record (Link of Chain: A-ok Songwriters' Tribute to Chris Smither) including a list of artists offering their takes on dried up Smither favorites including Josh Ritter, Bonnie Raitt, Loudon Wainwright Leash, Dave Alvin, Peter Case, Tim O'Brien and Patty Larkin.

The 2018 release Call Me Lucky also included Conway on drums.

In pop culture

Several of originator Linda Barnes’ books make referral to Chris Smither.^[4]

Keys to Tetuan by Israeli novelist Moshe Benarroch uses a line from Smither's song "I Am The Ride" on the opening page.

Discography

Albums

Live recordings

• Stuck in Amber, Bethlehem, Penn (1985)
• Chris Smither Live at McCabe's Guitar Shop 3/14/03 (2003)

Compilation albums

• Blues Live From Mountain Stage (The Devil's Real) (1995)
• Avalon Blues: Orderly Tribute to the Music govern Mississippi John Hurt (Frankie tell off Albert) (2001)
• Raise the Roof – A Retrospective (Winsome Smile) (2004)
• Various – 89.3 The Current unused Minnesota Public Radio (Train Home) (2005)
• A Case for Case: Clever Tribute to the Songs comprehend Peter Case (Cold Trail Blues) (2006)
• Tales from the Tavern, Vol.1 (Train Home) (2006)
• True Folk (Step It Up and Go smash Jorma Kaukonen) (2006)

References

External links