- This event has passed.
Bluesdays: J.C. Smith Band
August 9, 2022 @ 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
J.C. Smith Band makes its first Bluesdays appearance since 2016 in The Village at Palisades Tahoe.
The J.C. Smith Band is notable for the recent shows that he missed. Due to smoke from California wildfires, the 2021 Bluesdays show – and subsequently the rest of the series — was canceled. This winter he was on a three-week tour in Russia. The band returned home when Ukraine was invaded.
On April 30, the J.C. Smith Band had a benefit show in it hometown San Jose for Doctors Without Borders efforts in Ukraine.
Smith is known for its smooth sound and sharp clothes. It delivers various hues of blues, from horn-driven soul to Chicago style to early rock ’n’ roll. Singer-guitarist J.C. Smith is clearly influenced by T-Bone Walker, the player Chuck Berry emulated. He also has plenty of charisma and he makes sure the crowd has a good time.
A former drummer, Smith plays a Gibson 335, the same ax wielded by Freddie King, Otis Rush, Larry Carlton and the aforementioned T-Bone Walker and Chuck Berry.
Honors include the 2012 Metro Newspapers Best Of Silicon Valley “Best Original/local Band” and a Grammy nomination for the album “Defining Cool.” The band has toured Russia, Eastern Europe, Mexico and South America, and Smith has recorded with Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and shared the stage with Son Seals, B.B. King, Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, Buddy Guy and Buddy Miles.
Smith is a big fan of the Rolling Stones, and the feeling is mutual. Mick Jagger attended a February J.C. Smith Band concert.