John Smith (folk musician)
John Smith | |
---|---|
Origin | Essex, England |
Genres | Folk, Indie |
Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
Labels | BARP Ltd(UK), |
Website | johnsmithjohnsmith |
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
- ^ "John Smith biography". Retrieved 31 December 2016.
- ^ "Announcement of John Smith supporting David Gray". Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
- ^ "List of musicians playing on Lisa Hannigan's records". Archived from the original on 9 March 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
- ^ "Review of "Johnny Boy Would Love This – A Tribute to John Martyn"". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
- ^ "Johnny Boy Would Love This – A Tribute to John Martyn on Amazon". Amazon. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
- ^ "Ben Howard talks about John Smith's influence on his guitar style". Youtube.com. Retrieved 9 March 2013.