“After recording 4 rock/pop albums I rediscovered my southern musical roots and changed genres completely to American Roots, and I have never looked back. I love these honest, heartfelt songs and acoustic instruments. There’s no auto tune or synthesizers – just emotion and natural sounds. ” – Grant Maloy Smith @grantmaloysmith

GETTING TO KNOW GRANT MALOY SMITHBy Jacqueline Jax www.AVALiveRadio.com

Discovering my Musical Roots…As a youngster I was equally influenced by the Beatles and my Kentucky grandmother’s BLUEGRASS music. After high school I taught myself to play the guitar and piano, and started writing songs. After recording 4 rock/pop albums I rediscovered my southern musical roots and changed genres completely to American Roots, and I have never looked back. I love these honest, heartfelt songs and acoustic instruments. There’s no auto tune or synthesizers – just emotion and natural sounds.

“Old Black Roller”..is the most dramatic song that I have. This is the centerpiece of my upcoming album about the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, the greatest environmental and economic tragedy that America ever faced. It features brilliant guitar work by my friend, finger style guitar genius Peter Janson of Boston. What he is actually playing is his own arrangement of an old Scottish folksong. When I heard him play it, I immediately “heard” my own different song on top of it. I wrote the words and sang it, and added some mandolin, dobro, and percussion — and the result is “Old Black Roller.”

The Music Scene In Rhode Island…I'm about 90 miles south of Boston. I play all over the USA and in Europe, and not a lot around my town – which is quite a small one. But we do have one country venue called the Mishnock Barn that I enjoy performing in. It’s strange to see 400 people wearing cowboy hats and boots and line dancing in Rhode Island!

Social media…

I enjoy hearing from fans – I love hearing their reactions to my songs and videos, and I enjoy answering their questions. When someone tells me that a song meant a lot to them for various personal reasons, I find that very touching and rewarding.

My Legends…

I don’t have any one favorite – but in the roots world, which encompasses folk, traditional country, bluegrass and Celtic, there are some legends, such as Bob Dylan, Woodie Guthrie, John Prine, Allison Krauss … they have all influenced me in countless ways. I have met Arlo Guthrie and he was very kind to me and took some music of mine to listen to. On March 16th I am playing at the Bitter End in NYC, and will have the honor of singing on the same stage as Bob Dylan and countless other legends.

Success…

Making great music that really reaches people’s hearts and souls.

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Listen to the interview :: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/avaliveradio/2015/03/12/episode-226-ava-live-radio-behind-the-music-with-jacqueline-jax

Social media info:

Official website: www.grant-maloy-smith.comTwitter: @grantmaloysmithFacebook: www.facebook.com/americanrootsgrantGoogle+: https://plus.google.com/+Grant-maloy-smith/aboutReverbnation: www.reverbnation.com/grantmaloysmithInstagram: http://instagram.com/grantmaloysmithLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantmaloysmithSingerUniverse: http://www.singeruniverse.com/grant-maloy-smith-124.htmTumblr: http://grantmaloysmith.tumblr.com/MySpace https://myspace.com/grantmaloysmithCD Baby: www.cdbaby.com/Artist/GrantMaloySmithiTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/grant-maloy-smith/id273229127IMDB: www.imdb.com/name/nm0808358/About me: about.me/grantmaloysmith