MUSIC

Dosey Doe Coffee House presents Darden Smith.  MASON LANGFORD Opens 7:45.

Texas singer-songwriter Darden Smith was once describe as an explorer. This fits. During his 20-year career, he has recorded in folk, country and pop settings. He has co-written songs with a British rocker, released 10 critically acclaimed albums, created works for dance theater, done symphonic collaborations and through his Be An Artist Program, brought to children across the US and Europe the message of the inherent creative capabilities in everyone. His song cycle, ‘Marathon’ is currently being adapted for the stage. Darden Smith has made himself at home in studios in Manhattan, Nashville and London, as well as Austin. With every CD he releases his focus and style continues to shift, yet remains true to his roots.

When he was in junior high, his family moved to suburban Houston. Culture shocked and out-of-place, the former farm boy sat in his room and wrote songs constantly from that point onward. Smith studied the songs of writers such as Guy Clark, Townes Van Zant and John Prine. He listened to the radio and had his head spun around by Bob Dylan, The Allman Brothers and Jackson Browne. While still in high school, he began playing in clubs around north Houston, and by the time he graduated from the University of Texas in Austin, Darden Smith was a fully realized talent and a regular on stages in the city’s thriving nightclub scene.

About his extraordinary career, Darden Smith says, “I don’t worry about a lot of the stuff I used to worry about. I just go. I just want to work and make music, and that may look different on different days. After 20 years in this crazy business, I realize how fortunate I am to be able to make a living being a musician, doing what I love to do.”