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Chris Smither, born in Miami, FL, is an American folk/blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter. His music draws deeply from the blues, American folk music, modern poets and philosophers. In 1970, he released his first album I'm A Stranger, Too! on Poppy Records, followed by Don’t It Drag On the next year. Smither continued to tour, becoming a fixture in the New England folk clubs. In 1972, a longstanding working relationship with Bonnie Raitt took shape as Raitt's of Smither’s song, "Love Me Like a Man," appeared on her second album Give It Up. Raitt has since made it a signature song of her live performances, and the song has been included on several of her live albums and collections. In 1973, Raitt covered Smither's song "I Feel The Same" on her Takin' My Time album.
In 1984, Smither's belated third album, It Ain’t Easy was released on Adelphi Records. Smither recorded his next album, Another Way To Find You, in front of a live audience at Soundtrack Studio in Boston and in 1991 released it on Flying Fish Records. 1993 brought the release of his fifth album, Happier Blue (Flying Fish), followed two years later by Up On The Lowdown (Hightone) – the first of three records produced by Stephen Bruton at the Hit Shack in Austin, Texas. The Chris Smither Songbook I was also published in ‘95. His seventh album, Small Revelations (Hightone), and an instructional guitar video from Happy Traum’s Homespun Tapes in Woodstock, NY both arrived in 1997.
1998 was the start of a fertile songwriting and recording period for Smither. Hightone reissued Another Way To Find You and Happier Blue and Jorma Kaukonen invited Smither to teach at his Fur Peace Ranch in Ohio. In addition, Smither toured with Dave Alvin, Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Tom Russell as Hightone’s "Monsters of Folk" tour, and Emmylou Harris recorded his song "Slow Surprise", for the Horse Whisperer soundtrack CD. In 1999, Smither released Drive You Home Again (Hightone). The following year, songwriter Peter Case invited Smither to be part of a Mississippi John Hurt tribute record for which he contributed the opening track, “Frankie and Albert”.
2000 brought the release of Live As I’ll Ever Be (Hightone), comprised of the live recordings made two years earlier in the US and Ireland. In 2003, Train Home was released on Hightone. In 2004, jazz singer Diana Krall covered “Love Me Like A Man” on her CD, The Girl in the Other Room.
In September 2006, Smither released Leave the Light On (Signature Sounds) produced by David 'Goody' Goodrich. His song, "Diplomacy," from the CD was named #42 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of 100 Best Songs of the Year. Smither was also named as 2007's Outstanding Folk Act by the Boston Music Awards. That year he also contributed an essay entitled "Become a Parent" to the book Sixty Things To Do When You Turn Sixty (Ronnie Sellers Productions).
Smither released a 78-minute live concert DVD, One More Night, (Signature Sounds) in February, 2008. Much of footage was filmed live at a beautiful 75-seat music barn in Lyme, CT. In May 2009, Smither's short story "Leroy Purcell" was released in Amplified (Melville House Publishing), a collection of fiction by 15 prominent performing songwriters. Smither continues to tour world-wide, performing at clubs, concert halls, and festivals in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Europe, Australia. Smither's 13th CD, Time Stands Still, will be in stores on September 29, 2009 (Signature Sounds).
Discography
1970 - I'm a Stranger Too!
1971 - Don't It Drag On
1973 - Honeysuckle Dog
1984 - It Ain't Easy
1991 - Another Way to Find You
1993 - Happier Blue
1995 - Up on the Lowdown
1997 - Small Revelations
1999 - Drive You Home Again
2000 - Live As I'll Ever Be
2003 - Train Home
2006 - Leave the Light On
2009 – Time Stands Still
Seen Chris play many times, this photo was taken 25th March '07 at a winery in Oz. He mentioned to me after the gig that I must know every word of every song he played....Yep, that'd be right!
