Anthony Smith will be appearing live at The Weisman Center on Saturday May 14th, 2005, at 7:00 pm. Call 903.934.9902 for tickets.

http://munexp.com/siteMOL/GalleryGroupC.cfm?galleryId=3B5135

Anthony Smith, Saturday May 14th, 7:00 pm

For more information, see www.anthonysmith.com

The minute he picks up his guitar and launches into a hardcore honky tonker like "Impossible To Do," there is no question to which side of the musical spectrum Anthony Smith falls. The singer/songwriter has spent years etching out his own little niche of cool, wedged somewhere firmly between the classic sounds of retro country, the funk of R&B, the raw edge of rock, and the smooth grooves of the blues, and he serves it up in spades on his forthcoming decidedly country Mercury Nashville debut.

Those thinking they've heard Anthony's name are probably right. . .he's the writing talent behind recent hits like George Strait's "Run," Trace Adkins' "I'm Tryin'," Montgomery Gentry's "Didn't I," and several other cuts by major artists. His debut is steeped with the kind of material that has had stars lining up to cut his tunes. Now ready to step out on his own, he offers up a distinctive new voice for the country Millennium -- to a genre in dire need of some fresh, new stylists. From the first few slow, moaning strains of "Who Invented The Wheel," which kicks off the record, there is no doubt the boy is bona fide.

Music has been an important element in Anthony's life from the time he was old enough to pick up a guitar. He remembers staring in awe at his father's baby blue Fender as if it were the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, and was plunking out tunes of his own at 6 or 7. As his love for music grew, so did his curiosity, and soon he was discovering the music of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Johnny Paycheck, Vern Gosdin, Keith Whitley and, on the other side, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Journey, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney and Michael McDonald.

Moving to Kentucky in his early 20s, Anthony became part of a house band called Sneaky Pete at the Soundstage club, honing his performing skills and whetting his appetite for bigger and better things. After playing in his own band for a few more years, he made the move to Nashville, something he had always envisioned doing. "I always used to tell people during those early years -- 'I won't be here long, I'm going to Nashville,'" he recalls. "It was just something I always knew I eventually had to do."

Upon moving to Music City, Anthony began meeting fellow writers and making contacts and was soon invited to play at a writers night at the Broken Spoke, which turned into an extended gig. He began to garner interest from publishers in town and was soon turning the heads of labels as well. When Mercury Nashville head Luke Lewis heard one of his demos, he immediately offered the writer a home.

Anthony quickly went to work with longtime friend and musical protégé Bobby Terry on his debut. "Bobby produced the album. He was key to this whole thing. I wasn't intimidated by him. . .he's my best friend, so I could tell him whatever I wanted. We're musical soulmates. He's the first person I ever met who understood me and could translate the music in my thoughts to tape. He's amazingly talented -- he plays every instrument on the record and stayed true to my vision."

That vision is crystal clear on songs like Anthony's debut single, "If That Ain't Country," a funky, quirky, swampy romp full of slappin' backbeats and grooving guitars that takes listeners on a tour through the backwoods and bayous where its hillbilly heartbreaker runs free. "I wrote that with Jeffrey Steele," recalls Anthony. "We wanted to write something with that kind of weird approach, sort of a hillbilly version of the Beatles 'Come Together' in a way, a little 'Deliverance-y,' kind of twisted hillbilly thing."

Another cut, the gentle, flowing "Up To The Depth," is a unique song Anthony says he could almost see a band like Aerosmith do. He loved the intensity of rock acts like Aerosmith and AC/DC growing up and seeks that energy in his own music as well. "Who Invented The Wheel" addresses the opposite extreme, with its narrator slowly and methodically winding his way through the path to who's responsible for his unbearable heartache, desperate to find someone to take the rap. And "Hell Of A Question" showcases every inch of ache and desire in Smith's gravelly, voice.

As Anthony prepares to take that next leap himself and share his music with the rest of the world, he is thrilled to have the chance to deliver his unique lyrical messages in his own voice, each one wrapped in its own distinctive, sonic package. For him, it always has been and always will be about the music. "Every time I write I try to reach for something that hasn't been done before," says Smith. "I try to reach for a new way of saying something every time. . . truly want to create something unique."

ANTHONY SMITH DISCOGRAPHY

Song Title - Artist

Cowboys Like Us - George Strait
Run - George Strait

Chrome - Trace Adkins
I’m Tryin’ - Trace Adkins
Metropolis - Trace Adkins
Kill Myself - Tim McGraw
Kristofferson - Tim McGraw
Think I Will - Faith Hill
Without You - Lonestar
Carrying On - Montgomery Gentry
Didn’t I - Montgomery Gentry

Did Just Fine - Montgomery Gentry
The Fine Line - Montgomery Gentry

My Worst Fear - Rascal Flatts
Who Invented The Wheel - Trisha Yearwood
When I’m Gone - Josh Gracin

Metropolis - Sammy Kershaw
Stitches - Sammy Kershaw
What Brothers Do - Confederate Railroad
Still One Outlaw - Confederate Railroad

Wynn Varble will be appearing live at The Weisman Center Saturday April 9th, 2005.

Wynn Varble, April 9th, 2005

For more information, www.wynnvarble.com

Warner/Chappell staff writer Wynn Varble admits he must have been destined for a career in country music. Wynn was raised in the small town of Ellenwood, Georgia, where music was a central part of his life. He recalls his father’s collection of country LP’s and the hours he spent listening to the legends: Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Bob Wills, and Jimmie Rodgers, whom Wynn credits as being his primary musical influences. He says he did just about anything to hear the newest country record – even if it meant trading in his big brother’s rock albums and catching trouble for it afterwards!

Wynn picked up a guitar for the first time when he was 15 and taught himself to play. He remembers picking out his first original melodies soon after he mastered basic chord progressions. The creative sparks started flying, and Wynn formed a bluegrass band when he turned 16. After graduating high school, Wynn started on the path to musical success playing the club circuit. His talent playing bluegrass landed him gigs from Austin to Ft. Lauderdale; during this time he was perfecting his skill not only as a guitarist but also as a songwriter.

In 1982, Wynn visited some friends in Nashville. He spent several months writing with an up-and-coming singer/songwriter named Dave Gibson. It was this collaboration that proved to be Wynn’s ticket out of the club scene and into the Nashville music community.

Varble completely relocated to Nashville in 1992. Gibson introduced him to Cliff Williamson, then-director of Starstruck Writers Group, and Wynn was signed to the publisher in 1994. After Starstruck was sold to Warner/Chappell Music, Wynn joined the Warner/Chappell writing staff.

Wynn had his first #1 song "Have You Forgotten" with Darryl Worley in 2003. The song has been nominated for SONG OF THE YEAR by the CMA Awards.

Wynn’s songs have been cut by a range of great artists, including Garth Brooks, Lee Ann Womack, Brad Paisley, Darryl Worley, Montgomery Gentry, Jason Sellers, Gary Allan, Trace Adkins, Clint Daniels, Kevin Denney, Tracy Byrd, The Kinleys, Chris LeDoux, Danni Leigh, Mark Chesnutt and Sammy Kershaw.

Wynn will be playing the Weisman Center Presents…Words and Voices show on Saturday April 9th, at 7:00 pm. Contact The Weisman Center at 903.934.9902 for tickets.