John Adam Smith

John was raised at the base of the mountains bordering Missoula, MT. His father bought him his first drum when he was two years old. Inspired by his father and artists like Duane Allman, Jerry Garcia, and Jimmy Hendrix, John started playing guitar at 12 years old, filling notebook after notebook with songs. When he was 17, he met another guitar player and songwriter and they starting playing and writing music together, calling themselves “Smitty and The Boss”. Later, a bass player and percussionist that played Eastern Indian Tabla drums arrived, and the band “CottonWood Draw” was formed.

With their unique original material, and danceable live performances, they developed quite a following, opening for bands like Railroad Earth, Trampled by Turtles and Darkstar Orchestra. Yet in time, John decided it was time to leave the band and focus on his solo project. He had been studying traditional West African drumming with master Djembe players such as Dibo Camera, Abdoul Doumbia, and Mamady Keita. “The influence on my music was extraordinary,” says the 26-year-old musician. “Their ancient rhythms infused my brain and opened my mind to an entire new world of music.”

Seeking new sounds and means to expand his songwriting, John started playing slide guitar and experimenting with open tunings, which eventually lead to the discovery of his new love for lap steel, dobro, and weissenborn slide guitar. This March, he put together a tour in Australia and played from Melbourne, Victoria to Sidney, New South Wales. Throughout his journey John was fortunate enough to spend time with artists like Harry Manx, Jeff Lang, John Butler, and Xavier Rudd. Talking with them about music and their journeys brought so much inspiration and was truly a needed part of his journey.

“My purpose is to sing and share the connection with the people. So many hardships and troubles we all see through our lives, and we must strive to keep positive and follow our dreams amongst the chaos”. With his debut album on the road to completion, John was ready to broaden the project and invite the energy of other musicians along for the journey. In summer 2012, “The John Adam Smith Band” was born, their first album set to release late this November. John is in love with this chance to share his words with the wonderful folks that take the time to listen.