Description
England's one and only John Smith has been at the pioneering forefront of British folk guitar music for twenty years. He has amassed over 125 million Spotify streams and played his songs all over the world. He cut his teeth opening for the late, great John Martyn, and has since worked with a host of artists including Sarah Jarosz, the Milk Carton Kids, Patty Griffin and Jackson Browne.
On his latest album, 'Gatherings', John celebrates, revisits, and reimagines songs from his first three albums, with new interpretations of his own and audience favourites from over 2,000 live shows. Looking back on the last 20 years, in his own words....
"These songs carried me everywhere through the years. They took me to places and introduced me to people I could never have expected to find. Along the way, I've met so many great musicians who have become true friends. I'm fortunate to have some of my favourites join me on this record - Lisa Hannigan, The Staves, Siobhan Miller, and Dan Mangan all contribute vocals, while Adam Levy plays a guitar solo as if he were singing. Nick Pini joins on bass, alongside a small ensemble lending colour to this imagined landscape. Finally, Ryan Freeland kindly agreed to mix the album, working his magic in vivid brushstrokes. Gatherings is a ten-song selection of audience favourites, revisited and reimagined, for all the people in the crowd who have stuck with me through the years; but also an opportunity to show these songs to a new audience."
