The offspring of an unnatural union of Mel Torme and Pete Seeger, with Richard Dyer-Bennett and Burl Ives as grandfathers, and the great early 20th-century Irish tenor, John McCormack, for a Godfather.
The new album, 'Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair' and Other Songs, is available from CD Baby and iTunes. Click on the button below for CD Baby, or here for iTunes.
The first album, Gotta Quit Kickin' My Dog Around, is also available at CD Baby or here for iTunes.
Allen Smith had the good fortune to be born into a musical family in Erie, Pa., in the 1940s, a time when home-made music was a popular pastime. His earliest musical influence was his mother, who played ragtime piano. She was one of many family musicians.
He studied french horn in school and did some symphony playing as an adult.
He became interested in folk music in the 1960s and began playing the guitar and banjo then.
He particularly loves the beautiful songs of the 19th century by composers Stephen Foster, Percy French and their contemporaries, which he heard his family playing from early childhood.
He believes that these popular songs and folk songs from the previous four centuries are timeless and deserve an authentic presentation today. Many listeners have made it plain that they agree.
He sincerely hopes his efforts will bring a smile, and he thanks you for taking a moment to listen.
Das glaube ich dir sofort! Arthur strahlt solch' eine Ruhe aus! Du sprichst in der Vergangenheit? Ist Arthur tot? Sein Verlust muß dir sehr weh getan haben ...!
Guten Morgen, Allen! (oder besser: Guten Abend bei euch!)
Ich bin gerade auf meinem Arbeitsplatz und habe erst einmal deine schönen Fotos durchstöbert. Du hast einen sehr liebevollen Blick für die unterschiedlichen Schönheiten dieser Welt. Es war mir eine Freude!
Herzlichen Dank, daß du meine Anfrage bestätigt hast. Gleich, als das erste Lied auf deinem Spieler anfing, da mochte ich es schon leiden, was ich hörte ...! Es ist so selten heutzutage, daß man noch ein echtes Stück "Haus-Musik" findet. Vor allem hier im Myspace. Da fühlt man sich doch gleich warm ums Herz!
: )
Liebe Grüße aus Deutschland (Und wenn du irgendwelche Sprach-Fragen hast, dann kannst du mir ja jetzt auch direkt schreiben. Ich helfe dir gern weiter!)
You're right; smoke couldn't have caused that. That must have been a serious storm you had over there, to get cars blown into the ditches like that. I'm not surprised by your status quote: last night when I opened the door to some little kids, they shoved me backwards into the entryway and I almost fell over with the candy bowl. Not only that, they didn't even say 'Thank you' or anything. And then this tiny little guy eyed me with a dark look and walked away. What kind of a world are we about to enter?
Hi Allen! I just saw another brilliant gig by Harriet Lewis and Waldo Weathers today. Still blown away.....It was worth missing the conference for the music, I just loved it! Have you checked out her page yet? Well, and I found Waldo on facebook....It's a pity I don't know about the other's names...there was a hell of a bass player...just FANTASTIC! Love as always Anita
Thank you for always sharing a good time on LOOM. I love your songs . And I see you where looking up Gary Fulton. He's great songwriter, isn't he? Anita xxx
Thank you for the suggestion - I was going to do such anyway before the album came out next year, just posted this for my friends who wanted to see it!
Allen I keep comin back to read this. I keep thinking about something I did awhile ago. I had promised to send a friend in the U.S.A an example of my accent. So I thought Ill sing a version of Crossroads, change the words, and sing in my Geordie Accent...I finished it, recorded it etc and then let my wife have a listen, she asked me what I was supposed to be doing, she had an amused look on her face, I said well Ive just explained what Im doing....she looked again and said " well why are you actually singin in a posh voice one minute ?, then goin into an American accent...IF your supposed to be singin in Geordie ?
Allen, you are such an interesting fellow. Thanks for watching. I didn't realize putting information in my name actually worked. When I write, does it sound like I talk? I mean, wait, what am I trying to say? When you met me, and then saw me in video, was I what you expected? Because I saw a YouTube video of you right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFHndAFwJTI
You weren't what I expected. Your voice is a lot more...wise sounding then what I would have made it out to sound like.
hey Allen really good to see you, Was trying to comment awhile back and then the internet cut out....have an intermittent problem at the moment assume it has to be the phone line. I can check online for faults and every time I do it states that there is no fault on the line, and then I thought to myself if Im online there obviously isnt a fault..the fault is there when i cant get online to check whether there is a fault...???? Thanks for taking the time to listen...appreciate it a lot :-). I will upload The Blaydon Races it is the unofficial Anthem of us Geordies (Denizens of the North East of England) I have a friend (online) from San Francisco and promised to send her a sample of me singing in my local accent..so I started to do a version of Crossroads to send her....when my wife heard it I had explained what I was doing she just laughed at me and said "do you realise your singing that in ar eally posh accent, ie very proper...which isnt exactly Geordie. You will probably here me speaking it in the things I record....I like to leave the conversations I have with the dog etc, in....:-) Ps youl hear what i mean when I put one on here. I have just seen your comment about the Loom session...and when I actually find the bottle (courage) to take part, dosnt bear thinking about actually my first public appearance world wide....at least the virtual tomatoes are easy to clean up....:-) Allen thanks again I better stop here the text box is running out ....Later my friend....john.......
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. And I see you where looking up Gary Fulton. He's great songwriter, isn't he? Anita xxx
Online!
