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Chris Smither

Pilgrim Congregational Church
Redding, CA

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The association between contemporary bluesman/singer-songwriter Chris Smither and the Oaksong Music Society goes back to the very beginnings of the Society. Chris headlined the Societys second concert ever in 2000, back when the shows were held on co-founder Bruce and Linda Wendts front porch in Oak Run. After a 16-year absence from the northstate, Chris was set to return for an Oaksong Music Society concert last November, but a medical emergency forced the show to be cancelled. However, he is now scheduled to headline the opening concert of the new 2016-2017 concert season!

Chris Smither is currently celebrating fifty years on the road as a songwriter and guitarist. To celebrate this achievement, Roots Magazine put Chris on the cover of their August/September 2015 issue and featured him in an extensive cover story. As the magazine wrote, Smither sings about the big things life, love, loss in a penetrating and poetic yet unpretentious way.

Chris Smither goes way back to New Orleans in the 60s, when he first heard the music of Lightnin Hopkins and Mississippi John Hurt, to Boston in the 70s, when he met Fred McDowell, Son House, and Bonnie Raitt, who made a hit out of Chriss song, Love Me Like a Man.

A profound songwriter, Chris Smither draws deeply from the blues, American folk music, modern poets, and philosophers. Reviewers continue to praise his dazzling guitar work, gravelly voice and songwriting. Smither is an American original a product of the musical melting pot and one of the absolute best singer-songwriters in the world.

Associated Press. As Smither said, "I loved the blues, ever since I first heard Lightnin' Hopkins. I couldn't believe the sound he got. My style came out of trying to imitate what I heard." In blending folk and blues styles with incredible poetic lyrics, Smither has created a body of work that is unique and rich. Over the last 50 years, Chris has recorded more than 20 albums, including his latest, Still On The Levee (2014), a double-CD retrospective collection of his work. Recorded in New Orleans at the Music Shed, this career-spanning project features fresh new takes on 24 iconic songs from his vast career, enlisting the help of his many friends and collaborators, including Allen Toussaint and Loudon Wainwright III and The Motivators. In addition, to commemorate his career to date, Signature Sounds also released the all-star tribute record, Link of Chain- A Songwriters Tribute to Chris Smither (2014) that includes a stellar list of artists offering their takes on some Smither favorites, including Josh Ritter, Bonnie Raitt, Loudon Wainwright III, Dave Alvin, Peter Case, Tim O Brien, Patty Larkin, and many others.

http://www.smither.com/