I was going through my iTunes library this morning and noticed how many of my favorite artists only ever released one album or one nationally released album anyway. Most of the time the second album never comes because they failed to chart decently during their first album. Therefore many of them never got much exposure and are slowly being forgotten. I plan to feature some of them along with a little history behind their carreers. Here’s the first one….
Anthony Smith
| “Biography | by Jason MacNeil |
| Born in eastern Tennessee, this musician was in love with music from an early age. As a youngster, he would often gaze upon his father’s baby blue Fender guitar. By the time Smith was six or seven, he was playing guitar and learning various songs. Smith was exposed to a variety of music, ranging from country artists such as Johnny Paycheck and Johnny Cash to ’70s rock groups such as Aerosmith, ZZ Top, and Led Zeppelin. By his early twenties, Smith moved to Kentucky to hone his musical skills. While in Kentucky, he became a member of Sneaky Pete, a house band that would perform at the Soundstage Club. Telling everyone that this was a stepping stone to Nashville, he moved to Nashville a few years later. After networking through his contacts at labels and also numerous songwriters, he got a spot at a regular singer/songwriter’s showcase at Nashville’s The Broken Spoke. Mercury Nashville boss Luke Lewis received a demo of Smith’s music and immediately liked what he heard. After offering Smith a home, Smith began writing for artists such as Lorrie Morgan,Sammy Kershaw, Lonestar, and Montgomery Gentry. His song “Didn’t I” was also featured on the We Were Soldiers soundtrack. In 2001, Smith started work on his debut solo album. In June 2002, If That Ain’t Country was released on Mercury Nashville.” – By Jason MacNell, for Allmusic.com
Here’s a list of songs he helped write: Confederate Railroad – “That’s What Brothers Do” George Strait – “Cowboys Like Us” Lonestar – “Without You” Montgomery Gentry – “Carrying On” / “Didn’t I” / “The Fine Line” / “What Do Ya Think About That” Rascal Flatts – “My Worst Fear” Reba McEntire – “It Just Has To Be This Way” Sammy Kershaw – “Metropolis” Tim McGraw – “Shotgun Rider” / “Kristofferson” / “Kill Myself” Tommy Shane Steiner – “The Mind Of John J. Blanchard” Trace Adkins – “Metropolis” Trisha Yearwood – “Who Invented The Wheel”
Personal Chart History “If That Ain’t Country” – #26 “John J. Blanchard” – 40 “Half A Man” – 40
My Thoughts Anthony Smith is one of the male artist Mercury Records tried to launch in the first half of the decade (Eric Heatherly, Gary Nichols, Tracy Lawrence, Marcel, David Nail, Steve Azar, etc.) but they were unsucessful with all but Billy Currington. Anthony was probably my favorite one they tried to launch and also the best song writer of the bunch (Marcel comes close). It’s unfortunate that he never got the attention he should have as his debut album is one of the better to come out in this decade. Hopefully his upcoming EP will change that, but without a major label I have my doubts.
Links http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDfLF3Nc8WE - Video for “If That Ain’t Country”
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