John Smith (folk musician)

John Smith
OriginEssex, England
Genres
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
LabelsBARP Ltd(UK),
Websitejohnsmithjohnsmith.com

John Smith is an English folk guitarist and singer from Devon.[1]

He has toured Britain, Europe and America extensively, both solo and with artists such as Iron and Wine, James Yorkston, John Martyn, David Gray,[2] Jools Holland, Gil Scott-Heron and Lisa Hannigan[3] (whose records he also plays on). Smith remained unsigned to any record label for several years, but released several self-funded albums. Recent releases have been distributed by Thirty Tigers.

After the death of John Martyn, he appeared on a tribute album to Martyn alongside Bombay Bicycle Club, Paolo Nutini, Snow Patrol, Phil Collins and Beth Orton.[4][5]

His unique guitar style has influenced many artists including James Newton Chadwick and Ben Howard.[6] In particular Smith uses a variety of open tunings and percussive techniques (especially on the song "Winter").

Discography (Albums)

  • The Fox and the Monk (2006)
  • Live At The Roundhouse (2007)
  • Map or Direction (2009)
  • Eavesdropping (2011)
  • Great Lakes (2013)
  • Headlong (2017) 15 UK Indie
  • Hummingbird (2018) 30 UK Indie
  • Live In Chester (2020) (Commoner/Thirty Tigers)
  • The Fray (2021) (Commoner Records) 40 UK Indie
  • The Fray: Variations (2022) - 6-track album
  • The Living Kind (2024) (Commoner/Thirty Tigers) 10 UK indie

References

  1. ^ "John Smith biography". Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  2. ^ "Announcement of John Smith supporting David Gray". Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  3. ^ "List of musicians playing on Lisa Hannigan's records". Archived from the original on 9 March 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  4. ^ "Review of "Johnny Boy Would Love This – A Tribute to John Martyn"". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  5. ^ "Johnny Boy Would Love This – A Tribute to John Martyn on Amazon". Amazon. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  6. ^ "Ben Howard talks about John Smith's influence on his guitar style". Youtube.com. Retrieved 9 March 2013.