John Smith (UK)

Jon Smith

Pioneering singer, songwriter and guitarist John Smith has been at the forefront of British folk and roots 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, Joan Baez, David Gray, Tom Jones and Jackson Browne.

As he marks his 20th anniversary in music this October, John’s new release Gatherings celebrates, revisits, and reimagines songs from his first three albums, with brand new interpretations of his own and audience favourites from over 2,000 live shows.

Reflecting on these treasured compositions, John said: “I’ve learnt as time goes on that the songwriter isn’t necessarily in charge of the songs. Sometimes it feels as if it’s the other way round, that a song will reveal itself fully when it’s ready to be sung.”

Gatherings features guest appearances from Lisa Hannigan, The Staves, Siobhan Miller, Dan Mangan (all vocals) and Adam Levy (guitar). It was produced by John and mixed by Ryan Freeland (Bonnie Raitt, Aimee Mann, Joe Henry, Ray LaMontagne).

‘Smith's voice is a rare and deeply soulful combination of granite and velvet’ - The Sunday Times

‘What sets an artist apart is their craft and quality, two things John Smith has in spades. Class will out.’ – Spiral Earth

‘He has created a work of extraordinary emotional nuance... There's lots of colour and dark and light in everyday life’ – The Bluegrass Situation