John Smotherman
John Smotherman
Palm Beach Gardens, FL, US
Country / Rock / Power Pop
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Biography
John Smotherman grew up in the small town of Manchester, Tennessee. He began playing the drums at age 8 because his two older brothers had already started taking guitar lessons. The three siblings were playing live gigs while still in elementary school, and sang together as a trio with mom accompanying on the piano.
John developed an understanding and love for the guitar while watching his brothers. He secretly began practicing on their guitar while his siblings were out hunting or engaging in other sports activities. The guitar ultimately replaced the drums, and he started playing in bands throughout high school.
After graduation, John attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, where he studied and graduated with an Honors degree in Electrical Engineering, all while playing in various bands. Honing his guitar skills, he began to focus on the styles of such guitar greats as Hendrix, Clapton, Beck, Santana, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
After college John moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, where he auditioned for a local blues band. John got the gig, but the band lasted only a few months. He played locally in West Palm Beach in a series of start-up bands, and eventually was re-united with one of the members of that blues band, Ed Schaferle. After several conglomerations, the band "1-800" was born.
"1-800" included local talents, Geoff Livingston on Bass and Ray Morris, aka 'Tango Ray', as the energetic front man. The band lived up to the slogan "Reach out and Rock Someone" and enjoyed local notoriety and success.
After 2 years in "1-800", John decided to join another local band, "Lite-n-Up" - a 4 piece ensemble which became the house band at a popular Singer Island watering hole called Fathoms. "Lite-n-Up" not only covered the popular classic rock anthems, they performed numerous original tunes as well. The band consisted of Smotherman on guitar and vocals, Johathan Grooms on bass and vocals, John Wurm on guitar and Bill Meredith on drums and vocals.
John relocated to Indianapolis in 1992. He joined the Jes Richmond Band, which include a five-piece ensemble of talented musicians. The band cut a CD, opened for .38 Special, Sonia Dada, and shared the stage with members of the Jackson Brown Band. The band split in 1998 when Jes and his wife Vicky moved to LA to further pursue their musical ambitions.
John moved back to West Palm Beach in 2001, and assisted local musician and friend Ray Morris with lead guitar tracks on the "Body and Sin" CD.
In 2002, John joined "301 East", the weekend house band at Elwood's Dixie Barbeque in Delray Beach with Charlie Gonzalez on Bass and Chris Peet on Drums . They gained a loyal fan base through their performances of classic covers with a fresh twist from artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughn to James Brown to Eric Johnson to Wilson Pickett. Amost immediately after joining "301 East" they were voted Beach Magazine's "Best Band" 2002. Along with the core three musicians, "301 East" enjoyed the addition of bassist Donnie Gottlieb frequently sitting in - this allowed Charlie Gonzalez freedom switch gears and become the charismatic frontman he plays so well. In addition to Elwoods, "301 East" has been a mainstay in the South Florida music scene, playing various clubs, restaurants, bars and private functions.
He also performs with "Blatant Disregard", a Jazz/ Fusion improv trio with bassist Mark Braun and drummer Bill Meredith. Their originality and musical exploration through improvisation earned them a spot to perform at Sunfest 2002. Blatant Disregard has been a creative launching pad for the three band members.
Smotherman was featured in a 2002 Palm Beach Post article as one of the "Ten Magnificent Musicians of Palm Beach County" - recognition much deserved!
John is a very prolific songwriter. He has numerous instrumentals under his belt - compositions that the likes of Jeff Beck, Eric Johnson, Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan and others would tip thier hats to. The talents of John Smotherman are boundless.
In 2006 John was asked to write the score for an independant short film - a mocumentary about the life of a volunteer in the film festival circles. This was quite a departure from his comfort zone, but he approached it with such creativity and enthusiasm it was a successful and fulfilling venture for him.
In addition to the instrumentals and movie score, John and his songwriting partner, Stephanie Renee, have put a new spin on the pop/adult contemporary genre. Their songs range from a fun tongue in cheek "done me wrong" song to a hauntingly beautiful ballad to a "song about nothing"! Their talents, diversity and creativity have lead them to produce more than a dozen quality songs.
John's favorite guitar is the '65 Strat that his brothers once played, and he affectionately calls Candi. His other main guitar influences are Eric Johnson, Robben Ford, Keith Richards, and Albert King.
Instrumentation
Electric Guitar
Acoustic Guitar
Mandolin
Banjo
Drums
John Smotherman grew up in the small town of Manchester, Tennessee. He began playing the drums at age 8 because his two older brothers had already started taking guitar lessons. The three siblings were playing live gigs while still in elementary school, and sang together as a trio with mom accompanying on the piano.
John developed an understanding and love for the guitar while watching his brothers. He secretly began practicing on their guitar while his siblings were out hunting or engaging in other sports activities. The guitar ultimately replaced the drums, and he started playing in bands throughout high school.
After graduation, John attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, where he studied and graduated with an Honors degree in Electrical Engineering, all while playing in various bands. Honing his guitar skills, he began to focus on the styles of such guitar greats as Hendrix, Clapton, Beck, Santana, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
After college John moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, where he auditioned for a local blues band. John got the gig, but the band lasted only a few months. He played locally in West Palm Beach in a series of start-up bands, and eventually was re-united with one of the members of that blues band, Ed Schaferle. After several conglomerations, the band "1-800" was born.
"1-800" included local talents, Geoff Livingston on Bass and Ray Morris, aka 'Tango Ray', as the energetic front man. The band lived up to the slogan "Reach out and Rock Someone" and enjoyed local notoriety and success.
After 2 years in "1-800", John decided to join another local band, "Lite-n-Up" - a 4 piece ensemble which became the house band at a popular Singer Island watering hole called Fathoms. "Lite-n-Up" not only covered the popular classic rock anthems, they performed numerous original tunes as well. The band consisted of Smotherman on guitar and vocals, Johathan Grooms on bass and vocals, John Wurm on guitar and Bill Meredith on drums and vocals.
John relocated to Indianapolis in 1992. He joined the Jes Richmond Band, which include a five-piece ensemble of talented musicians. The band cut a CD, opened for .38 Special, Sonia Dada, and shared the stage with members of the Jackson Brown Band. The band split in 1998 when Jes and his wife Vicky moved to LA to further pursue their musical ambitions.
John moved back to West Palm Beach in 2001, and assisted local musician and friend Ray Morris with lead guitar tracks on the "Body and Sin" CD.
In 2002, John joined "301 East", the weekend house band at Elwood's Dixie Barbeque in Delray Beach with Charlie Gonzalez on Bass and Chris Peet on Drums . They gained a loyal fan base through their performances of classic covers with a fresh twist from artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughn to James Brown to Eric Johnson to Wilson Pickett. Amost immediately after joining "301 East" they were voted Beach Magazine's "Best Band" 2002. Along with the core three musicians, "301 East" enjoyed the addition of bassist Donnie Gottlieb frequently sitting in - this allowed Charlie Gonzalez freedom switch gears and become the charismatic frontman he plays so well. In addition to Elwoods, "301 East" has been a mainstay in the South Florida music scene, playing various clubs, restaurants, bars and private functions.
He also performs with "Blatant Disregard", a Jazz/ Fusion improv trio with bassist Mark Braun and drummer Bill Meredith. Their originality and musical exploration through improvisation earned them a spot to perform at Sunfest 2002. Blatant Disregard has been a creative launching pad for the three band members.
Smotherman was featured in a 2002 Palm Beach Post article as one of the "Ten Magnificent Musicians of Palm Beach County" - recognition much deserved!
John is a very prolific songwriter. He has numerous instrumentals under his belt - compositions that the likes of Jeff Beck, Eric Johnson, Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan and others would tip thier hats to. The talents of John Smotherman are boundless.
In 2006 John was asked to write the score for an independant short film - a mocumentary about the life of a volunteer in the film festival circles. This was quite a departure from his comfort zone, but he approached it with such creativity and enthusiasm it was a successful and fulfilling venture for him.
In addition to the instrumentals and movie score, John and his songwriting partner, Stephanie Renee, have put a new spin on the pop/adult contemporary genre. Their songs range from a fun tongue in cheek "done me wrong" song to a hauntingly beautiful ballad to a "song about nothing"! Their talents, diversity and creativity have lead them to produce more than a dozen quality songs.
John's favorite guitar is the '65 Strat that his brothers once played, and he affectionately calls Candi. His other main guitar influences are Eric Johnson, Robben Ford, Keith Richards, and Albert King.
Instrumentation
Electric Guitar
Acoustic Guitar
Mandolin
Banjo
Drums
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