Byther Smith

Byther Smith (born April 17, 1933 – September 10, 2021, in Monticello, Mississippi) is an American blues musician, noted for his gritty style and uncompromising delivery

Born the sixth oldest of seven children, Smith immigrated to Chicago in the mid-1950s. Although he worked for a candy company, Smith's real passion was music. He played bass for a three-piece jazz combo for a few years, but he eventually got a spot playing rhythm guitar for Otis Rush. In the early 1960s, Smith began to take the guitar more seriously and learned from J. B. Lenoir, Robert Lockwood, Jr., and Hubert Sumlin. 

After years of playing in clubs all over the United States and the world, a demo tape Smith recorded became the album "Tell Me How You Like It", released by the Texas-based Grits record label. His next release in the UK was "Addressing The Nation with The Blues" for JSP Records.  In 1995, Smith retired from his job at Economy Folding Box Company after twenty-five years, allowing him to focus fully on music.

Delmark Records boss Bob Koester observed, "There's a mellowness there that is disappearing in all but B.B. King".

Byther Smith died in Chicago on September 10, 2021, aged 89. 

(Byther Smith at 6th annual Poconos Blues Festival 1997)