Bio

   Bob Smith was born on December 11, 1963 and grew up in Farnham, Quebec. Throughout most of his young adult life, he was lead vocalist for many local bands in Toronto and the Montreal area, from 1982 to 1988. Although his love for bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath ran deep in his heart, Smith always had the incessant need to look deeper into the origins of the music which influenced these Rock giants. He discovered that their inspiration came from blues artists like Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters and dedicated himself into listening to the music of these blues icons. The rest is history, as Bob Smith then realized specifically what he wanted to achieve as a singer: the blues was calling him.

   It was 1991, while working as a truck driver for a transport company, that he found his calling. While on a stop in northeast Pennsylvania, Smith bought his first harmonica and from that day forward he practiced, played and lived the blues. His search for understanding the blues was equal to his quest for finding genuine present-day blues artists to perform with. During the summer of 1994, Smith was in Memphis, out and about on the famous blues strip: Beale Street. That night, he proved to himself, while playing with several of Beale Street's regular musicians, that he had the respect of genuine blues artists.

   He returned home with the confidence to find the right line up for his project. During the summer of 2000, Graham Ronne, formerly of Montreal's Preachin' Blues, teamed up with Smith to create the first incarnation of the "Bob Smith Blues Project". It was a dynamite acoustic duo that brought authenticity and powerful energy to crowds all over Quebec.

   Bob Smith continues to wow crowds all over Eastern Canada and goes on transcending the music he loves so much. In all honesty, Bob Smith has proven himself to be one of Quebec's premier harp players and blues artists. He is most certainly one of the best singers I have ever heard. Although he would play this down, he has my ear, along with many others – but soon enough, the world will be listening to this bluesman, this artist.

Graham Ronne of Preachin' Blues