Having distilled his own signature sound of blues and folk for over 40 years, Chris Smither is truly an American original. A profound songwriter, he continues to draw deeply from the blues, American folk music, modern poets, and philosophers to create his music. From his early days as the New Orleans transplant in the Boston folk scene, through his wilderness years, to his reemergence in the 1990s as one of America's most distinctive acoustic performers, Smither continues to hone his distinctive sound.
Smither has always traveled his own road, eschewing sophisticated studio tricks and staying true to his musical vision. He has developed and maintained loyal friendships over the years with kindred-spirited musicians like Bonnie Raitt and the late Stephen Bruton. At the same time, throughout his career he has been inspired by and inspiring to today's next generation of musicians. Reviewers continue to praise his dazzling guitar work, gravelly voice, and songwriting. See The New York Times: "With a weary, well-traveled voice and a serenely intricate finger-picking style, Mr. Smither turns the blues into songs that accept hard-won lessons and try to make peace with fate."
June 19th will mark the release of Smither's newest recording, Hundred Dollar Valentine (Signature Sounds) – and this, Smither's 12th studio record, is a masterwork. It sports the unmistakable sound he has made his trademark: finger-picked acoustic guitar and evocative sonic textures meshed with spare, brilliant songs, delivered in a bone-wise, hard-won voice. It is also his first recording to feature all Smither-penned, original songs. Along with longtime producer, David "Goody" Goodrich, other featured musicians on Hundred Dollar Valentine are drummer Billy Conway (Morphine, Treat Her Right), Jimmy Fitting on harmonica, and Goodrich's ex-Groovasaurus bandmates, Anita Suhanin (vocals) and violinist Ian Kennedy (Page/Plant, Lemonheads, Juliana Hatfield, Peter Wolf, Susan Tedeschi).
