John Smith
Born in Essex, raised by the Devon seaside and honed in the bars and clubs of Liverpool, John Smith is one of the UK’s finest guitarists and songwriters. He has released five albums and played to audiences around the world. Steeped in the lineage of British folk, John has evolved a transatlantic blend of fingerstyle and slide guitar techniques. He’s opened for folk greats including John Martyn, Davey Graham and John Renbourn, who called him “the future of folk music”. John has guested with artists such as Jackson Browne, Martin Carthy, Richard Hawley, Jarvis Cocker, Jerry Douglas, Glen Hansard and Rodney Crowell; and in his occasional role as sideman, he has played guitar for artists such as David Gray, Lisa Hannigan, Lianne La Havas, Joe Henry and Joan Baez.
The Time Has Come
by Anne Briggs, arranged by John Smith
“The Time Has Come is a song from Bert & John, written by Anne Briggs, which I covered for my 2018 album Hummingbird. The guitar part is distinctly Bert and invites a fingerpicker to disappear down a rabbit-hole of hypnotic altered-tune syncopation. One of my favourite ways to spend time is to close my eyes and play his riff for this song.”
“I discovered Bert Jansch when I was 16 years old. My dad gave me a cassette of Bert & John and that was it; I was hooked. I immediately dug into Bert’s music and learned about this whole mystical world of guitar music. Later I saw Bert perform, but never had the chance to thank him for his part in changing my life.”