Josh Smith (born October 7, 1979) is an American blues guitar player from

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

. He now lives in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and is a record producer at his studio Flat V Studios. In 2019 ''

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original art ...

'' magazine put Smith number 16 on their list, "The 30 best blues guitarists in the world today".

Early life

Smith was born in 1979 in

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, it is south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated by English settler ...

and raised in

. He began playing guitar when he was seven years old, and at 10 years old he began playing at blues festivals. He also began making albums when he was fourteen. By the time he was 18 he had released three albums. When he was 22 he got married and moved to

Career

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. After the Rhino Cats Smith formed another band (a trio) which he called, Josh Smith and the Frost. He was 18 years old at the time and they released an album, ''Too Damn Cold''. It was produced by Jim Gaines. Throughout his career he has played guitar on the albums of

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, and

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. Smith is also a record producer and he owns Flat V Studios in Los Angeles, California. He has produced albums for

Artur Menezes Artur Menezes (born July 14, 1997) 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, M ...

, Reese Wynans,

Eric Gales Eric Gales (born October 29, 1974), also known as Raw Dawg, is an American blues rock guitarist, originally hailed as a child prodigy. , Gales has recorded nineteen albums for major record labels and has done session and tribute work. He has a ...

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Larry McCray Larry McCray (born April 5, 1960), is an American blues guitarist and singing, singer from Magnolia, Arkansas. Early life McCray, the second youngest of nine siblings, grew up living on a farm.

Andy Timmons Andy Timmons (born July 26, 1963) is an American guitarist who has played in the bands Taylor Bay Band, Danger Danger, Pawn Kings, and Andy Timmons Band (ATB). He has also released several solo albums and has worked as a session guitarist. H ...

, and

Joe Bonamassa Joseph Leonard Bonamassa ( ; born May 8, 1977) 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 inde ...

among others. ''Guitar World'' magazine put Smith number 16 on their list, "The 30 best blues guitarists in the world today. In 2020, ''Rock and Blues Muse'' put Smith on their list of the "Top 15 Contemporary Blues Rock Guitarists 2020".

Discography

*Josh Smith & And The Rhino Cats – ''Woodsheddin, 1995 *Josh Smith & The Frost – ''Too Damn Cold'', 1997 *Josh Smith – ''Inception'' (CD, Album), 2009 *Josh Smith –''I'm Gonna Be Ready'' (CD, Album + CD + Ltd), 2011 *Josh Smith – ''Don't Give Up On Me'' (CD, Album), 2012 *Josh Smith – ''Over Your Head'', 2015

References

External links

Josh Smith IMDb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Josh 1984 births Living people American male guitarists Progressive rock guitarists Musicians from Florida American blues guitarists 20th-century American guitarists Blues guitarists