Artist Information Biography ARTIST UPDATE: Summer 2008 Truefire.com proudly presents "Ladd Smith's Modern Nashville Guitar" 2-CD Rom Interactive Instructional Course, read more here: http://truefire.com/tftv/index.html?channel=modernnashville&videofile=modernnashville/mng01v1 Ladd Smith Recently Performed at Muriel Anderson's All Star Guitar Night, Live at The Ryman Auditorium during NAMM Summer Sessions Ladd Smith Performed as a featured Singer/Songwriter for "ASCAP Present's Live at The Bluebird Cafe" Summer Showcase Series 2008 January 2008 Ladd Smith was selected to perform, after receiving an honorable mention in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, at the John Lennon Education Tour Bus Mainstage at the Winter NAMM Show, Anaheim Convention Center. Performance took place January 17, 2008 and video will soon be posted online. Saturday, January 19, 2008 Ladd Smith performed at Muriel Anderson's All Star Guitar Night, the top ticket concert @the Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim California. Ladd's performance video will be posted on AllStarGuitarNight.com and TrueFire.com In addition to performing at NAMM, Ladd will be doing a guitar instructional series with TrueFire this Spring season. Check out the February Issue of Guitar Player Magazine with a feature article about Ladd Smith winning Guitar Hero 2007! *** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: *** LADD SMITH OF NASHVILLE CROWNED GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE'S GUITAR HERO 2007! October 2007 Joe Satriani and Elliot Easton of the Cars among celebrity judges who selected winner Ten finalists battled for the international title of "Guitar Hero" at Guitar Player Magazine's Guitar Hero 2007 competition Friday, October 12 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. All 10 tremendously talented players were roundly applauded by celebrity judges Joe Satriani, Steve Lukather, Nuno Bettencourt, Elliot Easton, Greg Howe, and Mike Varney. In the end, they chose Ladd Smith from Nashville, Tennessee, as the champion, Les Robot from Edmonton, Alberta, as first runner-up and Danny B. Harvey from Canyon County, CA, as second runner-up. "What a celebration of white-hot, burning guitar!" said Guitar Player Magazine Editor-in-Chief Michael Molenda. "All 10 contestants were simply awesome -- on fire, in fact — and the crowd was devouring every run, riff, and lick. It was great to see such enthusiasm over transcendent guitar playing, as you certainly don’t hear these styles very much on radio or television these days." "Ladd Smith took the GH07 championship because his ‘Outrun the Train’ was a thrill ride of furious note barrages, clean-toned spank, and country melodicism," continued Molenda. "It’s incredibly difficult to play fast runs so pristinely — without a little help from distortion or sustain from the amp — and the judges acknowledged this in their decision." "This has been the most incredible thrill for me," said Smith, who was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma, raised in a guitar shop in Hendersonville Tennessee, and as a teen was often found backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and hanging around Nashville studios. "It was such an honor to even be chosen to be a part of the event, and I was just so happy to be there. I had absolutely no expectations to win—especially after hearing the contestants rehearse at soundcheck, and I’m still recovering from the shock. To be able to go into a primarily rock-dominated event representing Nashville country music—and to demonstrate the complexity and intelligence of what the genre can be—is what I’m most proud of. I’m just so thankful." Further thrills were provided by host Brendon Small, co-creator of Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse, as well as from the house band Thud Factor. In addition to his trophy, winner Ladd Smith received a Digidesign 003 Factory Pro Tools LE system (value: $2,495), a Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate software package, a Guitar Hero II XBox 360 bundle from Activision, an Epiphone Elitist Tak Matsumoto Signature Guitar With Hard Case AND an Epiphone Masterbilt EF-500RCCE Acoustic Guitar With Hard Gigbag, choice of a Mesa/Boogie Stiletto or Lone Star amp, a Jimi Hendrix Wah and MXR Distortion III guitar f/x pedal from Dunlop Manufacturing, and much more. The Celebrity Judges of the GUITAR HERO 2007 Competition Had This to Say about LADD SMITH's performance: "For the First time tonight the song and instrumentation was one. That was Amazing. I could never play like that in a million years. That was very entertaining. Thank you."-Joe Satriani "ASTOUNDING! I've had the honor of working with Albert Lee and many other Nashville guitarists and you can hang with the any of them. You have a wonderful touch, all of that inside-suspended open string stuff, it's just incredible and funky as a mofo!"-Steve Lukather "I'm going to bestow on you the greatest compliment I could ever give any guitar player and that is that I hate your @?&!% guts!"-Elliot Easton of The Cars "Excellent Job! I Was Totally Impressed!"-Greg Howe "You didn't play this like a competition, I felt that. My God, how much of that was improvisation anyway?"-Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme "You're a one man Hellecasters!"-Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records Activision, Microsoft and Digidesign partnered to present the 3rd annual Guitar Player’s Guitar Hero competition. Activision produces the red-hot video game Guitar Hero and was on hand with pre-launch demos of their new release, Guitar Hero III on XBox 360-outfitted kiosks on the show floor. The event was webcast using Microsoft’s "Silverlight" medium on www.GuitarPlayer.com. The premiere Guitar Player’s Guitar Hero competition was held in 2005 at Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame where New York’s Dominic Frasca was crowned with the Guitar Hero title. Last year’s champion was Trey Alexander of Pennsylvania. The ten finalists – representing a wide range of guitar styles including Latin Shred, Rockabilly, Country and Rock – were: Jamie Robinson (Toronto, Ontario), Juan Coronado (Whitby, Ontario) Tony Smotherman (Jacksonville, Florida), Taka Minamino (Hollywood, CA ), Danny B. Harvey (Canyon Country, CA), Curtis Fornadley (Playa Del Rey, CA), Casey Harshbarger (Indianapolis, Indiana), Ladd Smith (Nashville, Tennessee) , Les Robot (real name: Cory Melnychuk) (Edmonton, Alberta), and Chris Peters (Orlando, Florida). Guitar Player’s Guitar Hero is sponsored by Activision, Digidesign, and Microsoft with additional sponsorship from Epiphone Guitars, Mesa/Boogie amps, Jodavi ZZYZX Snapjack Cables, Dunlop Manufacturing, Moody Leather, Planet Waves, and Sonicbids. The Music Player Network of publications for musicians performing and producing music includes Guitar Player, Bass Player, Keyboard, and EQ magazines and related websites, TV, enews and events. For 40 years musicians have been served the most current music product, artist features, lessons, and applications tools to become better players. For more information please visit www.musicplayer.com. Music Player Network is a division of NewBay Media, LLC. Visit http://www.CROSSFADER.com to see Ladd's Award Winning Performance Listen to the Celebrity Judges Comments Leading up to Ladd's Acceptance Speech... * * * Biography: OLD SOUL Ladd Smith was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma September 21/22 at Midnight in 1982. But To hear Ladd Smith sing & play, your ears will tell you that you’re hearing a veteran singer/songwriter, a master guitar virtuoso and an experienced performer who can reach out and effortlessly touch your soul. From a young age, Ladd was always exhuberated at the opportunity to perform spot on renditions of classic tunes and artful originals in his own unique style. It’s hard to believe that someone so young could possess the musical acumen and professional poise of Ladd Smith, hard to believe until you know just how much time and effort Ladd has put into honing his natural talents. IN HIS BLOOD Born into a musical family, both of Ladd’s parents were professional singers and musicians, touring extensively throughout the Midwest. They eventually settled in Hendersonville, TN and opened Argill’s Music Store where Ladd grew up. Hendersonville being the place where many session player & country music royalty alike call home, Ladd had racked up hundreds of impromptu music lessons by the tender age of five. PAYING DUES Ladd began playing guitar at age 4. He began to write songs at the age of 9 and had written over 350 by the time he reached 19. Along the way he managed to record 3 original albums, play on nearly 400 sessions and perform at over 1,000 live shows. Ladd spent his teenage years working on Music Row learning all aspects of the business inside and out, known for saying “If there are any mistakes that are going to be made in my career, I want to be the one to make them.” Artist Sheila Aldridge took Ladd to meet John Briggs at Ascap when Ladd was only 15 and John Signed him to ASCAP on the spot. Considered a prodigy by his studio mentors, Ladd was personally sponsored into the Local 257 Musicians Union by President Harold Bradley at age 15. Ladd has spent the last ten years writing songs, playing guitar and singing back-up live and in the studio for tons of Nashville artists and producers. Ladd is often noted as being reminiscent of a young Vince Gill. The kind of artist that his ardently dedicated to being a consumate musician. In turn, with a repertoire of lyrics and music of over 2000 songs Ladd is known by fellow musicians as a “Human Jukebox” and is consistently ranked in the Top 3 Musicians and 1 Guitarist in Nashville by his peers on TheReferralList.com. Ladd has performed in over 17 countries including Kuwait where he was honored to play for our troops. As a Performing Artist and/or Member of the Band, Ladd has shared the stage and/or studio with Blake Shelton, Heartland, Phil Vassar, Merle Haggard, Confederate Railroad, Mustang Sally, Clay Walker, Jeanie Sealy, Deborah Allen, Helen Cornellius, Josh Turner, Vern Gosdin, Tanya Tucker, Trick Pony, Scout Cloud Lee, Dr. Hook, Leona Williams, Charlie Louvin, Josh Gracin, Aaron Pritchett, Duane Hitchings, Joe Melson, Ron Williams, Ferlin Husky, Jack Green and many, many others. HIS SOUND At this time, we would like for you to take a moment to listen to the media clips provided. It’s been said that if Billy Joel & Dolly Parton were to have had a lovechild his name would be Ladd Smith. You’ll hear a distinct voice and style that is both grounded in his country roots and yet breaks down the barriers of genre segregation. You will hear Ladd forge new path through familiar territory, as it were. For College Bookings contact: George Hornick George@houseofwally.com or Wally Saukerson Wally@houseofwally.com Also Visit http://www.houseofwally.com/ls.htm http://www.laddsmith.com http://www.myspace.com/laddsmith http://www.sonicbids.com/laddsmith Instrumentation Ladd Smith - Acoustic & Vocal Ladd Smith Proudly Endorses: Yamaha Acoustic Guitars & Keyboards, G&L Electric Guitars, Fender Amplification, DirtBag Designer Couture, Mesa/Boogie Amplification, X2 Wireless Systems, Dunlop Accessories, MXR Effects, Wampler Pedals/IndyGuitarist.com, Coffin Cases, Line6 Electronics, Gator/Gigbox Cases, Stetsbar Tremolo Systems, Toadworks Electronics, Robert Keeley Electronics, Argill’s Music Store, Greg Bennett by Samick Guitars, Takamine Acoustic Guitars... Discography Ladd is Currently in the studio working on a new album... "Ladd Smith - Sixteen" Released in 1998 Sixteen Songs written By Ladd Smith at the Age of Fifteen Recorded as he Turned Sixteen. All Guitars & Vocals By Ladd Smith. Track Highlights Include "Outrun The Train", "Emily" & Water Under The Bridge". Produced by Ladd Smith. "Ladd Smith - Town & Country" A Five Song E.P. Written & Recorded By Ladd Smith During 2006. An Acoustic Set of Recordings, Here Ladd Handles All The Vocals, Guitars & Piano (on "See If I Care"). Track Highlights are "Beautiful Thing", "Hey Wendyann" & "Sorry Don't Fix It". Produced by Ladd Smith Links http://www.laddsmith.com Ladd Smith @ MySpace.com