DOWNLOAD WNKU PROFILE OF CHRIS SMITHER

Like John Hammond and a handful of other musicians whose careers began in the 1960s blues revival, guitarist, singer and songwriter Chris Smither can take pride in the fact that he's been there since the beginning since his performing career began in earnest in the coffeehouses in Boston in the spring of 1966.

Smither is best known for his great songs, like "Love You like a Man" and "I Feel the Same," both of which have been recorded by guitarist Bonnie Raittt. Raitt and Smither got started at about the same time in the coffeehouse scene around Boston, though Smither was born and raised in New Orleans.

Chris recorded his first couple of albums for the Poppy label in 1970 and 1971, I'm a Stranger, Too and Don't It Drag On. In 1972, Smither recorded a third album, Honeysuckle Dog, for United Artists, that was never released. On the sessions for that album, he was joined in the studio by his old friends Bonnie Raitt and Mac Rebennack, aka Dr. John. Smither stopped recording for a while due to personal reasons.

His return to a proper recording career, due to a deal with Flying Fish Records, didn't happen again until 1991, when the label released Another Way to Find You, a folk-blues album. Smither did record for Adelphi label in 1984, It Ain't Easy, which has since been re-released on CD. Since then, he's more than proved his mettle as an enormously gifted songwriter, releasing albums of mostly his own compositions for the Flying Fish and Hightone labels. Smither's other albums include Happier Blue (1993, Flying Fish), and Up on the Lowdown (1995, HighTone Records).

Many students of modern acoustical guitar look to Chris Smither for inspiration. His touring in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s have brought him a fresh new audience and a rebirth in popularity.

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