Chris Smither "I'm A Stranger Too!" (Tomato Records, 1970)
(Produced by Michael Cuscuna & Ron Frangipane)
Chris Smither "Don't It Drag On" (Tomato Records, 1971)
(Produced by Michael Cuscuna)
Chris Smither "It Ain't Easy" (Gene's Records, 1984)
Chris Smither "Another Way To Find You" (Flying Fish Records, 1991)
Chris Smither "Happier Blue" (Flying Fish Records, 1993)
(Produced by John Nagy)
Chris Smither "Up On The Lowdown" (Hightone Records, 1995)
(Produced by Stephen Bruton)
Chris Smither "Small Revelations" (Hightone Records, 1997)
(Produced by Stephen Bruton)
Chris Smither "Drive You Home Again" (Hightone Records, 1999)
(Produced by Stephen Bruton)
Chris Smither "Live As I'll Ever Be" (Hightone Records, 2000)
Chris Smither "Train Home" (Hightone Records, 2003)
(Produced by David Goodrich)
Roots-blues troubadour Chris Smither has been around so long that his '70s singer-songwriter status has shifted into that of an elder statesman of the alt.country scene. This is a remarkable album -- mellifluous, calm and compelling, a very mature work. Some of his albums of the 1990s and early '00s have had their forced moments; here Smither seems entirely at ease, and seems to have nothing to prove. It's a very rich, rewarding album, well worth checking out.
Chris Smither "Honeysuckle Dog" (Okra Dog, 2005)
(Produced by Michael Cuscuna)
A set of "lost tapes" originally recorded in 1973... This was intended to be released as Smither's third album, as part of a record deal with United Artists, but got lost in the shuffle during a corporate merger. What a shame! Included among the musicians backing him are Eric Kaz and Dr. John, along with Lowell George and Bill Payne of Little Feat, and a slew of high-powered pop and jazz players.
Chris Smither "Leave The Light On" (Signature Sounds, 2006)
(Produced by David Goodrich)
Chris Smither "One More Night With Chris Smither" (DVD) (Signature Sounds, 2008)
Chris Smither "Time Stands Still" (Signature Sounds, 2009)
(Produced by David Goodrich)
Chris Smither "Lost And Found" (2011)
Chris Smither "Hundred Dollar Valentine" (2012)
Chris Smither "Still On The Levee" (2014)
Chris Smither "Call Me Lucky" (2018)
Chris Smither "More From The Levee" (Signature Sounds, 2020)
Chris Smither is one of those "songwriter's songwriters," a bluesy bard who made the transition from the 1960s folk scene and the singer-songwriter era of the early 'Seventies into the Americana boom of the '80s and '90s. Though he was born in Florida, Smither mostly grew up in New Orleans, where he soaked up the sounds of rural Southern blues. He eventually worked his way into the New England folk scene, and in 1969 he met Bonnie Raitt, who would become his patron, recording Smither's songs "Love Me Like A Man" and "I Feel The Same" on some of her earliest, best albums. Despite this high profile exposure, Smither struggled to break through commercially and fell off the radar for much of the 'Seventies. When he reemerged, recording a belated third album in 1984, he was greeted by a changing musical landscape in which folk and roots music fused into a new "Americana" brand, and was hailed as an elder statesman of sorts. Here's a quick look at his work...
