John Smith

Born in Essex, raised by the Devon seaside, and making his bones in the bars and clubs of Liverpool, John Smith boasts over 100 million Spotify streams.

He has played to audiences all over the world in living rooms, festival tents and sold-out concert halls, barely pausing for breath during his eighteen years as a full-time independent touring musician.

Steeped in the lineage of British folk and American guitar music, taking his cue from Richard Thompson, John Martyn and Ry Cooder, Smith has evolved a transatlantic blend of fingerstyle and slide guitar techniques.

His deeply romantic and vivid songwriting, combined with his innovative guitar work, have won him a loyal following.

His honey-on-gravel voice and mesmerizing fingerstyle guitar are undeniable. Sometimes using a slide, sometimes with guitar on his lap, sometimes detuning mid-song or pulling subtle expressions out of an array of effect pedals, Smith’s obsession with the instrument has made a master of him.

Whether by way of an album or a live show, he always leads the listener on a viscerally emotional journey

His career began opening for folk greats including John Martyn, Davy Graham and John Renbourn, who called him “the future of folk music.”