Darden Smith
Darden Smith
Texas singer-songwriter; "Loving Arms", "Levee Song"
"When I write a song," says Darden Smith, "the way it ends up is usually not the way I thought it would be when I started." And that notion of exploration, of following the path of the unexpected, has been a constant force in his career as a musician. Smith has transcended traditional singer-songwriter boundaries and over the past 25 years has assembled a varied, fascinating musical legacy as fulfilling to his listeners as it has been to himself.
His 10 critically acclaimed studio albums, recorded from New York to Nashville and London to Los Angeles, weave together rock, pop, country, folk and Americana influences with the musical roots of his home state of Texas. Based in Austin since 1982, Smith, praised by All Music Guide as "a singer-songwriter blessed with an uncommon degree of intelligence, depth, and compassion," has created a distinctive, admired body of work and has long enjoyed an international following as a compelling live performer.
Beyond his foundation as a singer-songwriter, Smith has, among other things, composed an orchestral piece for the Austin Symphony, written and produced a documentary for BBC Radio 2, scored compositions for experimental dance troupes and created a dramatic song cycle for a theatre production now underway. And his "Be An Artist Program," which he founded in 2003, is a popular series of in-school workshops that seek to foster creativity in students across the United States and Western Europe.
Even as Smith celebrates his 25th year as a professional musician with After All This Time: The Best of Darden Smith, there’s no doubt that new ventures are ahead. For him, being a musician has always been about answering the question, "I’ve done that, now can I do this?" He gratefully credits his co-writers, producers and fellow musicians with fueling and supporting his creative path, and for nurturing his own artistic muse. "I’m more excited about music now than I’ve ever been," Smith says. "And there's no end to it."
Darden Smith Official Website