Henry Smith Band

Henry Smith was born on 30th January 1972 in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was evident from an early age that Henry had talent and was destined for a life in music, particularly country music. Henry’s childhood was filled with the music of great artists such as Hank Williams Snr, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash. Basically if it was country music he would be interested. More recent artists that have inspired Henry are Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, George Strait and Garth Brooks. Henry’s first instrument was the drums. He even played on stage, backing his father singing, at the tender age of five. Henry also enjoyed playing keyboard and rhythm guitar, which he now plays on stage. It was at the age of 19 that Henry got his first taste of singing on stage with a live band behind him. That band was the Dalton Boys and Henry soon became a regular feature and the name changed to Henry Smith and the Dalton Boys. As Henry had been chasing this dream all his life he wanted the name to reflect this so he later named the band Henry Smith’s Country Dreams. Although the line up of musicians in the band has changed over the years the high standard has remained. All the members of the band are dedicated to play good country music to audiences for miles around. Henry has recorded many albums over the years including live recordings from gigs, covers and songs written by Henry himself. In fact it is one of these self-penned songs that Henry achieved the success of having his first number one hit in the UK music charts. “Hello DJ” was played in various countries around the world such as America, Canada, Australia, Thailand, Sweden, France, Germany and Hong Kong. Henry’s second UK number one success was the Jim Reeves classic “Welcome To My World”. In 1998 Henry and the band travelled to Nebraska and attended The Nebraska Country Music Festival where he won songwriter of the year, singer of the year and international entertainer of the year awards. In 1999 Henry won Club Choice UK Band of the Year and in 2006 The People’s Choice UK Band of the Year. Although Henry appreciates the recognition these awards bring he is aware that it is the audiences who turn up to his shows and support him that are the motivation for his continued success. In 2003 Henry and the band completed a months tour of Ireland which not only included playing gigs, theatres and festivals but performing many live radio interviews. Henry has also appeared in many international festivals such as Gravelines, France and Magaluf, Majorca as well as the top UK festivals such as The South Will Rise Again Festival, Dorset, The Americana, Nottingham, Yorkshire Dales Festival, Skipton and The Norfolk and Kings Lynn Festivals at the Norfolk Showground. Some of Henry’s greatest personal achievements have been to support America’s own Mark Chestnut and Billy Yates at The South Will Rise Again Festival in July 2006. He has also appeared with Billy Jo Spears, Heather Myles, Joni Harms, Eve Selis, Danni Lee and Jon Randell. It is not until you experience life on the road that you appreciate how difficult it can be for a five-piece band to keep going for so long. Henry Smith’s Country Dreams have overcome many trials but along the way have made many friends and fans all around the world.