
My Crooner Chronicles journey recently took me into Nat ‘King’ Cole territory (courtesy of a request from a friend). It was a real pleasure to…

My series of homage posts to the artists who have inspired me and the rest of the band continues. The subject of this post,…

My series of homage posts to the great artists that provide inspiration to The Martin Smith Band continues. Last time, I honoured one “King of…

We decided to bring a couple of cameras along to a recent rehearsal session. This is me and the band rehearsing a couple of blues classics:…

What band playing any form of blues or R&B cannot have been influenced by the inimitable Riley B. King? [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGc3O2aRuOc&w=420&h=315]

I continue this series of tributes to the artists who have provided inspiration to the Martin Smith Band (and, consequently, contribute to the set-list) by…

As the Martin Smith Band moves closer to being a going concern, with the news that our line-up is now complete, we continue this series of…

In the late 50s and early 60s, a number of jazz artists such as Art Blakey, Herbie Hancock, Wes Montgomery (to name just a few)…

We definitely want the new band to have a soulful sound. Who better to listen to for inspiration than the magical Temptations. One of their…

In the absence of any material just yet from the new band, I’m sharing a few tracks by the artists that inspire us. My…