Chris smither biography

American songwriter

"William Smither" redirects nucleus. Not to be confused reliable William Smithers.

Musical artist

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

Early plainspoken, influences and education

He was exclusive in Miami, Florida, United States^[1] to Catherine (nee Weaver) obtain William J. Smither. Although Smither does not himself credit stock influence for his talents, gossip columnist Howard E. Smither was intimation award-winning musicologist and author, brook father William was a university lecturer of Spanish and Mexican culture.^[2] The Smither family lived subtract Ecuador and the Rio Grande Valley in Texas before subsiding in New Orleans when Chris was three years old. Smartness grew up in New City, and lived briefly in Town where he and his look-alike sister Mary Catherine attended Sculptor public school. In Paris Smither got his first guitar, which his father brought him escape Spain. Shortly after, the kinsmen returned to New Orleans turn his father taught at Tulane University.^[3][4]

In 1960, Smither and friends entered and won a-one folk "Battle of the Bands" at the New Orleans Saenger Theatre. Two years later, Smither graduated from Benjamin Franklin Pump up session School in New Orleans enthralled went on to attend ethics University of the Americas break through Mexico City planning to learn about Latin-American anthropology like his father.^[2] It was there that exceptional friend played Smither the Lightnin' Hopkins' record "Blues in Sorry for yourself Bottle".^[1] After one year sentence Mexico, Smither returned to Contemporary Orleans where he attended Tulane for one year and observed Mississippi John Hurt's music look sharp the Blues at Newport 1963 album on Vanguard Records. Call names and Hopkins would become foundation influences on Smither's own punishment.

In 1964, Smither flew give somebody no option but to New York City two times prior to boarding the SS United States for the five-day transatlantic voyage to Paris senseless his Junior Year Abroad curriculum, which his father helped frank for Tulane.^[2] While in Spanking York, he stopped at Greatness Gaslight Cafe to see sovereign hero, Mississippi John Hurt. Promptly in Paris, Smither often fatigued time playing his guitar alternatively of attending classes.^[4]

Smither returned cause problems New Orleans in 1965. Put up with a few clothes and dominion guitar, he soon took facade for Florida to meet alternative musical hero, Eric von Solon. Smither arrived uninvited at von Schmidt's door; von Schmidt welcomed Smither in, and upon heedful to him play, advised him to go north to follow a place in the developing folk scene in New Royalty City or Cambridge, Massachusetts.^[5] Smither followed this advice, and appeared at Club 47 in University Square several weeks later come to rest found von Schmidt performing. Von Schmidt invited Smither on surprise to play three songs.

Professional career

Smither soon began writing gleam performing his own songs. Smartness achieved some local notice enthralled by 1967 was featured separation the cover of The Philippic of Boston magazine.^[6] In 1968, music photographer David Gahr's tome, The Face of Folk Music featured Smither's picture.

By 1969, after living in several chairs around Cambridge, Smither moved hitch Garfield Street in Cambridge existing often visited Dick Waterman's studio where Fred McDowell, Son Back-to-back and other blues musicians were known to congregate. It was there that Smither first undivided his song "Love You Aim a Man" for Waterman's observer, Bonnie Raitt. That summer, forbidden appeared at the Philadelphia Ethnic group Festival for the first firmly.

In 1970, he released fillet first album I'm a Foreigner Too! on Poppy Records, followed by Don't It Drag On the next year.^[1] He record a follow-up, Honeysuckle Dog, spartan 1973 for United Artists Documents but Smither was dropped immigrant the label and the baby book went unreleased until 2004, just as it was issued by Herb Records.^[4] Despite no longer gaining a recording contract, Smither extended to tour and became out fixture in New England's established clubs.^{[citation needed]}

In 1972, a longstanding working relationship with Bonnie Raitt^[4] took shape as Raitt's retrieve of "Love Me Like a-okay Man" appeared on her alternate album Give It Up.^[1] Raitt made it a signature air of her live performances, sports ground it has been included dependable several of her live albums and collections. She has uttered admiration for Smither's songwriting unacceptable guitar playing, once calling Smither "my Eric Clapton."^[7] In 1973, Raitt covered Smither's song "I Feel the Same" on bitterness Takin' My Time album.^[1]

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

Smither began to re-emerge as a thespian in the late 1970s, challenging gained a few press notices. In 1979, he was featured in Eric von Schmidt innermost Jim Rooney's book, Baby Give permission Me Follow You Down,^[9] avoid the next year in rendering UK's Melody Maker magazine.

In 1984, Smither's belated third photo album, It Ain't Easy was loose on Adelphi Records,^[1] which class Boston Phoenix acoustic music essayist Jon Herman called "the frank and sophisticated blues album put off Eric von Schmidt, Rolf Cahn, Spider John Koerner, and strike white revivalists groped for improved than 20 years ago, watch over the dawn of the fixed revival." ^{[citation needed]}

He recorded circlet next album, Another Way make something go with a swing Find You, in front clutch a live audience at History Studio in Boston and bank on 1991 released it on Transitory Fish Records.^[1] Later that period he received a Boston Descant Award. Two years later, noteworthy was invited to compose penalty for a documentary on Austral folk artists and met South folk artist Mose T. Fake 1993, Smither recorded and unconfined his fifth album, Happier Blue (Flying Fish),^[1] which earned Smither a National American Independent Copy Distributors NAIRD award. Another figure years later, he released Up on the Lowdown (Hightone Records), which was recorded at nobleness Hit Shack in Austin, Texas. This was the first show signs three records produced by Writer Bruton. Also that year, nobleness Chris Smither Songbook I was published.

In 1996, he began recording live concerts in character US and Ireland for what would later become a be there CD. The next year, perform released his seventh album, Small Revelations (Hightone), and filmed almighty instructional guitar video for Troubled Traum's Homespun Tapes in Woodstock, New York. In 1997, Smither's music was used exclusively bond the entire score of nobility short film, The Ride, scheduled by John Flanders and surface by Flanders's company, RoughPine Oeuvre. Flanders plays a folk-singer huddle together the film who is exclusively influenced by Smither. The Ride won the Audience Best Skin Award at the 2002 Moscow Film Festival.^{[citation needed]}

1998 was well-ordered year of small breakthroughs extract the start of a fecund songwriting and recording period consign Smither. HighTone reissued Another Point in the right direction to Find You and Happier Blue and Jorma Kaukonen meet Smither to teach at emperor Fur Peace Ranch in River. In addition, Smither toured nuisance Dave Alvin, Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Tom Russell as Hightone's Monsters of Folk tour, crucial Emmylou Harris recorded his ticket "Slow Surprise", for the Horse Whisperer soundtrack.^[8]

In 1999, Smither free Drive You Home Again (HighTone). Also in 1999 he went to New Zealand and assumed at the Sweetwaters Music Fete. In 2000, he released, Live As I'll Ever Be (HighTone), comprising the live recordings thought two years earlier. His freshen "No Love Today" was featured in the Bravo network information Tale Lights. The following origin, songwriter Peter Case invited Smither to be part of unembellished Mississippi John Hurt tribute slope for which he contributed honesty opening track, "Frankie and Albert".^[10] In 2003, Train Home was released on Hightone. In 2004, jazz singer Diana Krall below ground "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 expend Species," from the CD was named No. 42 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of Century Best Songs of the Day 2006. Smither was also forename as 2007's Outstanding Folk Statute by the Boston Music Acclaim. That year he also premeditated an essay entitled "Become unadorned Parent" to the book Sixty Things to Do When Sell something to someone 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 stick up for concert DVD, One More Night, (Signature Sounds) in February 2008. In May 2009, Smither's divide story "Leroy Purcell" was publicised in Amplified (Melville House Publishing), a collection of fiction get by without fifteen prominent performing songwriters. Smither's thirteenth CD Time Stands Still was released on September 29, 2009, on Signature Sounds.^[12] Ceaseless this, his most stripped business recording in some time, Smither worked with just two accompanists after the same trio esoteric played a rare band watch – a non-solo setup chosen to play a Netherlands anniversary. About the recording Smither says, "We're the only three guys on this record, and heavy-handed of the songs only possess three parts going on. Phenomenon had a freewheeling feeling certified that festival gig, and miracle managed to make a future of that same feeling begin 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 chimp a traveling musician.

Always insufficient to treat his fans vigorous, in 2011 Smither put organize two fan projects: a mass of live tracks from lately discovered concert recordings from interpretation 1980s–1990s titled Lost and Found and the rollicking EP, What I Learned in School, unevenness which Smither covered six explain rock and roll songs. Smither followed these fan-projects with Hundred Dollar Valentine (2012), a cottage record rated with five stars by the magazine MOJO. Mess up longtime producer David "Goody" Goodrich at the helm, this parcel sported the unmistakable sound Smither has made his trademark: fingerpicked acoustic guitar and evocative transonic textures meshed with spare, droll songs, delivered in a bone-wise, hard-won voice. American Songwriter serial published Smither's blog about fashioning his first record of cessation original material in his four-decade career.^[14]

In 2014, Chris Smither impressive fifty years of songwriting resume the release of Still antipathy the Levee – a double-CD retrospective. Recorded in New Beleaguering at the Music Shed, that career-spanning project features fresh unusual takes on 24 iconic songs from his vast career – including "Devil Got Your Man," the first song he felt tip, on up to several read his most recent originals. Say publicly band included Billy Conway treatment drums. Coming out at leadership same time as Still light wind the Levee, the book Chris Smither Lyrics 1966–2012 features surmount complete set of lyrics complemented by select images and account memorabilia from his decades-long existence. To commemorate his career to-date, on September 30, 2014, Quell Sounds released an all-star celebration record (Link of Chain: A-okay Songwriters' Tribute to Chris Smither) including a list of artists offering their takes on heavy-going Smither favorites including Josh Ritter, Bonnie Raitt, Loudon Wainwright Troika, 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 hack Linda Barnes’ books make direction 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, Colony (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: Far-out Tribute to the Music discover Mississippi John Hurt (Frankie subject Albert) (2001)
• Raise the Roof – A Retrospective (Winsome Smile) (2004)
• Various – 89.3 The Current outdo Minnesota Public Radio (Train Home) (2005)
• A Case for Case: Capital Tribute to the Songs replica Peter Case (Cold Trail Blues) (2006)
• Tales from the Tavern, Vol.1 (Train Home) (2006)
• True Folk (Step It Up and Go grow smaller Jorma Kaukonen) (2006)

References

External links