James D Smith grew up in rural Louisiana listening to his mom’s old 45’s – Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Merle Haggard, and all the greats of that era. It comes as no surprise that these were his greatest influences. As he began to sing karaoke in the local bars, he patterned his singing style after Merle Haggard and became quite well known locally.

In the early 2000’s, he attended a benefit concert where he was introduced to Cathy Lemmon, Robert Metzger from Capitol Records, and Charlie Rich, Jr.  They introduced him to a talent scout and he auditioned for Capitol Records. He went to Nashville and recorded his 3 song EP with the studio band used on Dolly Parton’s CD at the time.

James has a deep baritone voice that is the perfect sound for the southern country style of his music.  It’s hard to pick a favorite.  They are all three very good.  “Miracles” is a beautiful, touching song about his true experiences.  It will certainly touch something in your heart.  “Too Drunk to Fish” is a hilarious song that brought a smile because I’ve been there.  “Me and the Hag” is done in a way that could make it a true country classic.

His first EP, “Me and the Hag” was released independently via digital distribution by HearYou Music in April of 2015.

James is currently putting together a full band for live performances as well as working on his next CD.  I’m really anxious to see what he has coming up next.

 

https://soundcloud.com/hearyou-3
http://www.jamesdsmithmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/JamesSmithTN?fref=ts
https://twitter.com/jdsmith2015
http://www.reverbnation.com/jamesdsmith8

Check out James D Smith’s music here on The Howl!

 

CJ the Blogger