Josh Smith (born October 7, 1979) [1] is an American blues guitar player from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He now lives in Los Angeles and is a record producer at his studio Flat V Studios. In 2019 Guitar World magazine put Smith number 16 on their list, "The 30 best blues guitarists in the world today".
Smith was born in 1979 in Middletown, Connecticut, [1] and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He began playing guitar when he was seven years old, and at 10 years old he began playing at blues festivals. [2] [3] He also began making albums when he was fourteen. [4] By the time he was 18 he had released three albums. [2] When he was 22 he got married and moved to Los Angeles. [5]
When Smith was 16 he toured the United States with his band, Rhino Cats. The band released two independent albums, Born Under a Blue Sign and Woodsheddin'. [6] After the Rhino Cats Smith formed another band (a trio) which he called, Josh Smith and the Frost. [5] He was 18 years old at the time and they released an album, Too Damn Cold. It was produced by Jim Gaines. [2] Throughout his career he has played guitar on the albums of Taylor Hicks, Ricky Fanté, and Raphael Saadiq. [4] [7]
Smith is also a record producer and he owns Flat V Studios in Los Angeles, California. [4] He has produced albums for Artur Menezes, [8] [9] Reese Wynans, Eric Gales, Joanna Connor, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Marc Broussard, Larry McCray, Andy Timmons, and Joe Bonamassa among others. [1]
Guitar World magazine put Smith at number 16 on their list, "The 30 best blues guitarists in the world today". [10] In 2020, Rock and Blues Muse put Smith on their list of the "Top 15 Contemporary Blues Rock Guitarists 2020". [11]
Ana Popović is a blues singer and guitarist from Serbia who currently resides in the United States.
Carey Bell Harrington was an American blues musician who played harmonica in the Chicago blues style. Bell played harmonica and bass guitar for other blues musicians from the late 1950s to the early 1970s before embarking on a solo career. Besides his own albums, he recorded as an accompanist or duo artist with Earl Hooker, Robert Nighthawk, Lowell Fulson, Eddie Taylor, Louisiana Red and Jimmy Dawkins and was a frequent partner with his son, the guitarist Lurrie Bell. Blues Revue called Bell "one of Chicago's finest harpists." The Chicago Tribune said Bell was "a terrific talent in the tradition of Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter." In 2023, he was inducted in the Blues Hall of Fame.
Joseph Leonard Bonamassa is an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. He started his career at age twelve, when he opened for B.B. King. Since 2000, Bonamassa has released fifteen solo albums through his independent record label J&R Adventures, of which eleven have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Blues chart.
Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz, better known by his stage name Fantastic Negrito, is an American singer-songwriter whose music spans blues, R&B, and roots music. His 2016 album The Last Days of Oakland won a Grammy award for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 59th Grammy Awards. In 2019, his album Please Don't Be Dead won the same category for the 61st Grammy Awards. His 2020 album, Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? won Fantastic Negrito his third consecutive Best Contemporary Blues Album Grammy at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. His most recent album, Son of a Broken Man, was released in 2024.
Chills & Fever is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Samantha Fish. It was released on March 17, 2017.
Living with Your Ghost is the fourth solo studio album by United States-based blues rock singer/songwriter/guitarist from Australia, Kara Grainger. It was released on 1 June 2018.
Kirk Fletcher is an American electric blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. To date, Fletcher has released six studio albums and one live album. In addition, he has variously been a member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds and the Mannish Boys, plus supplied backing for Joe Bonamassa and Eros Ramazzotti. Fletcher has been nominated for four Blues Music Awards and was a 2015 British Blues Awards nominee.
Kill or Be Kind is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Samantha Fish. It was released on September 20, 2019 under Rounder Records.
Rocky Athas in Texas, is a blues songwriter and guitarist, best known for his work with Black Oak Arkansas, Glenn Hughes, Buddy Miles, Double Trouble and John Mayall.
Rawer than Raw is an album by blues musician Bobby Rush. It was released on CD and LP on August 28, 2020.
When Rivers Meet is an English blues / rock band formed in 2016 in Essex, England by husband and wife duo, Grace and Aaron Bond.
Cry No More is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Danielle Nicole after Wolf Den. Her first release was a self-titled EP. Cry No More was released on February 23, 2018.
662 is an album by blues guitarist and singer Christone "Kingfish" Ingram. His second album, it was released in CD, LP, and digital formats on July 23, 2021.
Joy Is Coming is the fifth studio album by Israeli blues and jazz guitarist Guy King. the album was released in 2021 and featured songwriting by David Ritz. Guitarist Josh Smith shared producing credits with Guy King.
Alastair L. Greene is an American blues rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. His debut album, A Little Wiser was released in 2001, the first of nine under his name over the next 20 years. Greene's guest appearances include those with Eric Burdon, Walter Trout, Coco Montoya, Savoy Brown, John Németh and Debbie Davies. He has also performed and/or recorded with Alan Parsons, Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, and Sugaray Rayford.
Deb Ryder is an American blues singer and songwriter. She has released five albums since 2013, although her involvement in music spans decades in various capacities.
Robert Jon & the Wreck is an American five-piece blues rock and Southern rock band. Formed in Orange County, California, United States, in 2011, the ensemble has released several albums and toured extensively. Their 2021 album, Shine a Light on Me Brother, was described by one reviewer as their "best album to date which is saying a lot. It's a great album from start to finish".
Artur Menezes is a Brazilian blues and blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. He has released five albums since 2010, with the most recent, Fading Away (2020), being released by Vizztone Records. That same year, Menezes got his Green Card granted by the US government, specifically because of his contribution to the blues.
"Sacred the Thread" is a song by American rock band Greta Van Fleet. It was released as a promotional single from their third album, Starcatcher.
Live at the Wiltern is a live album and a concert video by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. It was recorded on 4 November 2002 at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. It was released on CD, LP, DVD, and Blu-ray on 8 March 2024.
