Episode 160 - Chris Smither

Above The Basement - Boston Music and Conversation

Every once in a while we get to chat with a Boston legend.

Chris Smither is one of the most distinguished and authentic singer-songwriter/bluesmen over the past 50+ years. His soulful voice and excellent finger-style guitar playing is set to a heartbeat kept in time by his signature tapping feet.

Chris moved to Boston from New Orleans back in the mid 1960’s and within hours of arriving he was on stage with Eric von Schmidt in Harvard Square at Club ‘47 (now Club Passim).

Hanging out with his future producing partner Dick Waterman and blues musicians Son House and Fred McDowell, he began to hone his songwriting chops.

Also in that group of bluesmen was the incomparable Bonnie Raitt, who fell in love with his song Love You Like A Man and made it her own. His songs have since been recorded by EmmyLou Harris, Diana Krall, Josh Ritter, Loudon Wainwright III, Dave Alvin, Patty Larkin, Peter Case and Tim O'Brien.

He continued to write, perform and also overcome his personal struggles to be a musical road warrior. He has put out 18+ albums, his most recent More From The Levee - a compilation of songs that didn’t make it onto his 2014 album Still On The Levee retrospective that were so good they had to be released as well.

Chris is still on the road and has proven to be one of the greatest American Folk/Blues artists to grace the stage.