Smiling Jack Smith Smiling Jack started his stage career as a five year old tap-dancer and singer from New Jersey, but traded his shoes in for a guitar at age twelve and began writing and performing his own material. Said goodbye to New York ten years later and headed west with a pocketful of pithy observations and assorted love songs in a range of different musical styles. Over the course of some 40 years as a working musician Smiling Jack Smith has had the great fortune to work as an opening act for some of the biggest names in show business, including B.B. King, John Mayall, Bonnie Raitt, Charlie Musselwhite, Johnny Clyde Copeland, John Hammond, Jr, and the Reverend Gary Davis. His festival performances include:   - Antequera Blues Festival, 1997   - XXII Semana de la Musica, San Fernando, Cadiz, 2000 XXII   - Festival de Jazz, Granada, 2001   - Nits a la Fresca, Palma de Mallorca, Verrano 2001 VII   - Festival Internacional de Blues, Cazorla, 2001   - Rodeado Por Raices, Chesterfield Cafe, Madrid, 2001   - III Festival Internacional de Blues, Almeriblues, Almeria, 2002   - II Festival de Blues y Jazz en la Provincia, Cadiz, 2002   - Antequera Blues Festival, 2003   - The Isle of Man, Big Wheel Blues Fest , 2004   - Antesala Festival Blues-Rock de Velez-Malaga, 2004   - Galapajazz, Noches de Blues, 2004   - VII Festival Internacional de Blues, Almeriblues, Almeria, 2006 Click here to play MP3 Song Sample - Deja Blues Bookings - Click Here What are the highlights you like to hear while listening to the blues? Is it scorching blues guitar riffs? A very funky horn section or some sexy and sultry saxophone? Good ol' boogie woogie piano or a lot of hot Hammond organ playing? Strong rocking rhythm? Outstanding, versatile vocals that knock your socks off? Well, if you picked "All of the above", then SMILING JACK SMITH'S  will surely get you smiling like JACK. " PETER "BLEWZZMAN" LAURO. APRIL 2007

About Smiling Jack Smith Jack Smith was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, and grew up in Staten Island, New York. Starting out as a tap-dancer and a singer, he traded in his tap shoes for a guitar at the age of twelve and began writing and composing his own songs almost immediately. He spent the sixties as a folk singer, working with a vocal group called The Smith Brothers (there was one woman singer in the group, but what the heck), that reached its peak when they made a demo for CBS with the legendary John Hammond, Sr.The decade drew to a close with the formation of the now mythical band Orville Dorp, which migrated to Vancouver in the early seventies. The band had it's share of fame with a song called "Jesus Marijuana" which they released as a 45 rpm single, and then passed into history around the time that Jack was given the name Smiling Jack by some friends from a band called Stallion Thumrock. The name stuck, and Jack stayed in Vancouver for 20 years, becoming a Canadian citizen and raising a son, MacKenzie. During this 20 years Jack formed a number of interesting groups, from Smiling Jack and the Sparklers through Delta Airtight and ending up with a four piece vocal group called Party Fever, which released an album titled "Ah!... Capella!" in 1988. Then Jack moved back to the States for a while, singing a bit of country music in Florida and then living in New Jersey again where his focus finally settled on the blues. His first solo album, "Direct To Dat Jack", was recorded in Hoboken in 1993. A visit to Spain opened up a world of new possibilities and later that year Jack moved his blues to Madrid, where he has been living for the last 12 years with his wife Carmen and their daughter Maria. During this period Jack released 3 CDs in Spain, "First Night With The Blues" in 1996, "Second Chance" in 1997 and "Three Seconds to Love Me" in 2002 He has just finished recording his fourth CD, "This Blue Before", in Canada, using an all-star line-up of Canadian musicians as well as his Spanish drummer, Quique Villafañe. The recording was produced by the internationally famous jazz guitarist Pat Coleman and features a brilliant horn section led by Phil Dwyer. Discography This Blue Before - 2006 (Songs from this CD are currently being played on three continents, in Europe, North America and Australia, as well as in Israel.) Three Seconds To Love Me - 2002 Second Chance - 1997 First Night With The Blues - 1996 D2DJ (Direct To Dat Jack) - 1993 Ah!... Capella! with Party Fever- 1988