Byther Smith
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Byther Claude Earl John Smith (April 17, 1932 – September 10, 2021)[1][2] was an American blues musician[3] who worked with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Otis Rush and Junior Wells.[4]
Biography
Early life
Born in Monticello, Mississippi, United States, Smith's early music experiences revolved around gospel music.[4] Orphaned, Smith was brought up by his uncle and aunt.[5] In his teenage years he moved to Arizona to work on a cattle ranch and played in a country and western band on weekends.[4] He worked in construction and local farmhands taught him to play the double bass.[5] Around this time Smith showed an interest in boxing, so his aunt bought Smith an electric bass guitar to encourage him to follow a musical path instead.[5]
Career
Smith migrated to Chicago in the mid-1950s with his wife, Etta Mae.[5] In the early 1960s he began performing in clubs, learning guitar from J. B. Lenoir (his first cousin who had encouraged him to migrate[5]), Robert Lockwood, Jr., and Hubert Sumlin.[3] He worked regularly as rhythm guitarist for Otis Rush.[5] During this period he recorded a number of singles with labels such as Bea & Baby, Cruise and Apex but in 1965 returned to his gospel roots with a group called the Gospel Travellers.[4] In the 1970s he joined the house band at Theresa’s Tavern where he worked for five years, often playing with Junior Wells.[4][5] In 1974 he recorded various tracks with Sunnyland Slim for Slim's later album 'She Got A Thing Goin' On'.[6] In the late 1970s, Smith toured with the likes of Big Mama Thornton and George "Harmonica" Smith.[5]
After years playing in clubs all over the world, a demo tape Smith recorded became the album Tell Me How You Like It, released by the Texas-based Grits record label. His next release in the United Kingdom was Addressing the Nation with the Blues for JSP Records.[7] In 1995, Smith retired from his job at Economy Folding Box Company after twenty-five years, allowing him to focus fully on music.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Smith retired from touring in 2015.[6]
Delmark Records boss Bob Koester observed, "There's a mellowness there that is disappearing in all but B.B. King".[7]
Byther Smith died in Chicago on September 10, 2021, aged 89.[8]
Discography
Singles
- "Thanks You Mr. Kennedy" / "Champion Girl", EDA Records 1556 (1962)
- "So Unhappy" / "Money Tree", Be Be Records 101 (1974)
- "What Have I Done" / "Sweet Sixteen", Be Be Records 102 (1976)
- "Tell Me How You Like It" / "Come On In This House", Grits GR-4500 (1983)
Albums
- Hold That Train, Delmark (1981)
- Tell Me How You Like It, Grits (1983)
- Big Shot Smitty, Mina Records 1002 (1984)
- Gritty Soul, Mina Records LP-M1004 (1985)
- Addressing The Nation With The Blues, JSP Records (1989)
- Housefire, Bullseye (1991)
- I'm A Mad Man, Bullseye BB 9527 (1993)
- Mississippi Kid, Delmark (1996)
- All Night Long, Delmark (1997)
- Smitty’s Blues, Black and Tan (2001)
- Throw Away The Book, Black and Tan (2004)
- Blues on the Moon: Live at the Natural Rhythm Social Club, Delmark (2008)
- Got No Place To Go, Fedora FCD 5034 (2008)
See also
References
External links
- The Blue Highway
- Template:PAGENAMEBASE discography at Discogs
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- ↑ "Byther Smith", The Tylertown Times, September 27, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021
- Pages with script errors
- 1932 births
- 2021 deaths
- People from Monticello, Mississippi
- American blues guitarists
- American male guitarists
- American blues singer-songwriters
- Singer-songwriters from Mississippi
- Guitarists from Mississippi
- 20th-century American guitarists
- Black & Blue Records artists
- JSP Records artists
- African-American male songwriters
- African-American guitarists
- 20th-century African-American male singers
- 20th-century American male singers
- 20th-century American singers
- 21st-century African-American male singers
- 21st-century American male singers