“The blues is a music that will never go away. It's of course the foundation for all popular music. It needs to both be respected and preserved while also being pushed forward by new artists and ideas. Music as a whole has seemed to change its role for current generations.”

Josh Smith: Real Blues, Real Life!

Blues rock guitar virtuoso, singer-songwriter and producer, Josh Smith, is hailed the world over as a master guitarist with raw talent and power to spare. Blending his signature mix of blues, rock and jazz into dynamic original songs, Smith is known for his incendiary live performances, whether at the Grammy Awards or the Kennedy Center Honors with Mick Jagger, Raphael Saadiq and others. Along with touring the world, recording and performing with renowned artists such as Joe Bonamassa, Eric Johnson, Andy Timmons, Kirk Fletcher and others, Smith is also a producer and owns Flat V Studios in Los Angeles. He has produced artists Reese Wynans "Sweet Release", Eric Gales "Crown", Joanna Conner "4801 South Indiana Avenue", Joanne Shaw Taylor "The Blues Album", Andy Timmons "Electric Truth", Jimmy Hall, Larry Mccray "Blues Without You", Artur Menezes (winner of the Eric Clapton 2019 Crossroads Festival) "Anyday, Anytime" and "Fading Away", Seth Rosenbloom "Keep on Turning", Jamey Arent "The Back Burner" and many more.                                          (Josh Smith / Photo  © by Mackenzie Lenora)

Josh has partnered with Fundamental Changes for his second book. "Modern Blues Guitar Phrasing" (2024) you’ll learn to transform the classic licks of the musical legends into your own unique, expressive soloing language. Josh was a Grammy Nominated Producer for "Crown" by Eric Gales. Josh is a Blues Music Award Winning Producer for "Blood Brothers" Mike Zito/Albert Castiglia. Josh Smith’s first European tour 2025 (May 22-June 14) under his name will be started in Vienna, Austria and continues to German, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Czech, Greece, Denmark, Belgium, Hungary and UK.

Interview by Michael Limnios                       Archive: Josh Smith, 2020 Interview

Special Thanks: Josh & Niki Smith

How do you think that you have grown as an artist since you first started making music? What has remained the same about your music-making process? 

The things that have remained the same I hope, are the work ethic, the drive and the passion. I still love making music and I hope that never changes. Everything else has evolved through life experience, growth and the challenges that we push ourselves to meet over the course of a lifetime dedicated to one pursuit. All the production, the sessions, the arranging, writing, working with other artists etc. have made me a much better and more well rounded artist.

What moment changed your music life the most? What´s been the highlights in your life and career so far?

For me there isn't a single moment that stands out as the most pivotal. It's been a series of moments over a lifetime. I've been lucky to have many highlights. Playing with Raphael Saadiq for years and meeting my friends Calvin Turner and Lemar Carter have been huge in my musical life. Backing up Mick Jagger at the Grammy's is a moment no one could ever forget. Making a big band album was a dream come true. Playing with my brother Joe Bonamassa with full orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl. These are things I'll never take for granted.                           (Josh Smith / Photo © by Mackenzie Lenora)

”The hardest challenge is always figuring out how to give your all to something and also grow as a human adult. You sometimes forget about artists having all the things everyone else has: families, bills, worries and strife. That's what the blues is and always has been about. Real life!!!”

Currently released the second book “Modern Blues Guitar Phrasing". How did that idea come about? What's the balance in music between technique (skills) and soul/emotions?

The idea for the book was something cool I thought. It encompasses how I learned and grew from listening to my heroes. I show readers the examples or initial spark I got from all my heroes and how those ideas evolved into building blocks in my personal vocabulary. I don't think there has been a book with that approach yet. I'm very proud of it. Of course the balance between technical and soul is a moving target. I'm always creating a mix of my heart, my mind and my hands. What do I know to play, what do I feel to play, and what can I physically play?!

Why is it important to we preserve and spread the blues? What is the role of music in today’s society?

The blues is a music that will never go away. It's of course the foundation for all popular music. It needs to both be respected and preserved while also being pushed forward by new artists and ideas. Music as a whole has seemed to change its role for current generations. I don't see the same dependance on music that I observed growing up. It's now just a commodity, a free thing people listen to for fun. Easy to find and easy to forget.

What has been the hardest obstacle for you to overcome as a person and as artist and has this helped you become a better blues musician?

The hardest challenge is always figuring out how to give your all to something and also grow as a human adult. You sometimes forget about artists having all the things everyone else has: families, bills, worries and strife. That's what the blues is and always has been about. Real life!!!                                     (Photo: Josh & Niki Smith, 2025 Los Angeles)

”The things that have remained the same I hope, are the work ethic, the drive and the passion. I still love making music and I hope that never changes. Everything else has evolved through life experience, growth and the challenges that we push ourselves to meet over the course of a lifetime dedicated to one pursuit.”

What are you doing to keep your music relevant today, to develop it and present it to the new generation?

Nothing. I just play and write the music that speaks to me. I'm grateful if anyone of any age or generation is interested and wants to listen or support. The way I promote things is certainly changed for the times, but the music for me is always driven by my internal narrative and desires.

The first European tour under your name on the next months. Why do you think that the Blues music continues to generate such a devoted following in Europe?

Europe has always been wonderfully supportive of the blues. I've loved touring there for all my life. I'm so glad to be coming back for the first time as a solo artist since before the pandemic. Fan there seek out the music they love and support in a way more like it used to be in America before I was born.

If you could change one thing in the musical world and it would become a reality, what would that be?

I'd make streaming music go away so people had to buy all the music they listen to again. That's what enabled all the artists we grew up idolizing to become the legends they are, and to change their fortunes for their families. Music should not be free. It never was. It was a privilege to save up and buy the music of the artists you loved. People made sacrifices to do it. That's how much they loved music. That is gone forever and never coming back unfortunately.

Josh Smith / Flat V - Home

(Josh Smith / Photo © by Mackenzie Lenora)