Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike

On December 11, 2006 at 11:00 pm MSNBC program "Lockup," a popular program that looks inside some of the most dangerous prisons in the United States featured Indiana State Prison. This institution houses Indiana's most notorious and dangerous criminals. The average stay of an offender in this level four prison is 40 years. Into this prison setting, on December 7, 2007 came an energetic, boredom-busting form of music in the persons of Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike. If prison can be said to be a place where the "dark side" of the human spirit resides, Valerie and Liberty Pike, became a light in a "dark place" with their enthusiastic brand of bluegrass.

Mr. Ed Buss, Superintendent of this high security prison in the Indiana Department of Corrections, was pleased to host one of the most active bands in bluegrass music today. It has been some time since anyone has reported on a bluegrass connection with these discarded and often forgotten people incarcerated behind the cloistered walls of prison. The energy of the Band was infectious. The prison chapel, filled with offenders, some incarcerated for the rest of their natural lives, welcomed the Band with shouts of appreciation, whistles, and enthusiastic applause of approval. You would have thought you were at any festive Bluegrass Festival.

Valerie Smith and her Bell Buckle Partner, J. Gregory Heinike donated their time and expenses to doing a Christmas Concert for the offenders residing on the southern shore of Lake Michigan at Michigan City, Indiana. This prison is the oldest continuous prison operating in the state of Indiana. Abe Lincoln was President when this prison was opened with the nation in the crisis of civil war in 1863.

Valerie just recently endured surgery for a problem that potentially could have ended her musical career. Valerie lives in Bell Buckle, TN with her daughter, Josie and husband, Kraig. The surgery was successful and her exuberant spirit still continues to set the pace for this Band of young virtuoso musicians. The whole band is multi-instrumentalists. Becky Buller who usually plays fiddle is also known as a song writer of homey and heart felt songs based in her life experiences. She also bangs a mean clawhammer banjo. Becky has been with Valerie for seven years. Chad Graves, who makes the resophonic guitar ring and moan, is also engaging for his spontaneous humor and showmanship. He comes to the group from Morrisville, Mo. Brandon Bostic, a 19 year old prodigy, doubles as Banjo and flat picking guitarist who, if they are paying attention, should be featured in a future issue of Flat Picking Guitar Magazine. His licks are clean and puts out a great tone. As a guitar player, I am always fascinated by guitarists who are "lefties," and exhibit such extraordinary skill. Brandon comes from Milton Fl.

Finally there is Bobby Davis, the band's bassist and occasional fiddle player. He hails from Wheatfield Indiana. The story of Valarie's band trip to Indian State Prison begins with his connection through another bluegrass band. The first band Bobby played with was a band called the B.A.D. Bluegrass Band. Bobby's interest in bluegrass music was somewhat aided by one of B.A.D.'s founding members, Bob Rawlins. Bob, now known, for his role as Chaplain of Indiana State Prison, gave 19 year old Bobby his first job as a bass player for the B.A.D.

Though the band is a regional band, Bobby maintains contact and occasionally plays with the B.A.D. The acronym, B.A.D. stands for Bob, Al and Don, the first three original members of this band. Bobby's close ties to this band was punctuated by the tragic death of Al Shoemaker, lead singer and dobro player, in an auto accident near Hanna, IN on November 16, 2001. He was a highly respected musician, family man and involved with the Starke County Fine Arts Commission and a Viet Nam veteran.

The "D" in the B.A.D. stands for Don Buchanan, one of the most sought after banjoist in northwest Indiana. Don has over 30 years in bluegrass music and is ambassador for the genre in northwest Indiana and eastern Illinois. Don lives near Hebron, IN.

Once a teenage boy came home to his mother and said, Mom, I want you to meet my new girlfriend. Have an open mind will you. She said, "Yes son, I'll keep an open mind."

He said, "Remember, an open mind." She says, Yes, dear." Musing to herself, she thinks, "It is amazing how much prejudice can be crammed into an open mind." (Mel Lazarus in Momma). Any musician who can get past preconceptions of what prison and prisoners are like can experience a genuine reception and true appreciation. Bobby Davis stated on his visit to ISP, "It wasn't at all like I expected. We really had a great time."

The Chaplain and Administration of Indiana State Prison extend an invitation to any Band who may be passing through northern Indiana to come by and pick and sing a few tunes. The Valerie Smith's team reminds us of a Biblical text which states "I was in prison and you vi - 1/18/2008, Bob Rawlins, Chaplain at Indiana State Prison,

On December 11, 2006 at 11:00 pm MSNBC program "Lockup," a popular program that looks inside some of the most dangerous prisons in the United States featured Indiana State Prison. This institution houses Indiana's most notorious and dangerous criminals. The average stay of an offender in this level four prison is 40 years. Into this prison setting, on December 7, 2007 came an energetic, boredom-busting form of music in the persons of Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike. If prison can be said to be a place where the "dark side" of the human spirit resides, Valerie and Liberty Pike, became a light in a "dark place" with their enthusiastic brand of bluegrass.

Mr. Ed Buss, Superintendent of this high security prison in the Indiana Department of Corrections, was pleased to host one of the most active bands in bluegrass music today. It has been some time since anyone has reported on a bluegrass connection with these discarded and often forgotten people incarcerated behind the cloistered walls of prison. The energy of the Band was infectious. The prison chapel, filled with offenders, some incarcerated for the rest of their natural lives, welcomed the Band with shouts of appreciation, whistles, and enthusiastic applause of approval. You would have thought you were at any festive Bluegrass Festival.

Valerie Smith and her Bell Buckle Partner, J. Gregory Heinike donated their time and expenses to doing a Christmas Concert for the offenders residing on the southern shore of Lake Michigan at Michigan City, Indiana. This prison is the oldest continuous prison operating in the state of Indiana. Abe Lincoln was President when this prison was opened with the nation in the crisis of civil war in 1863.

Valerie just recently endured surgery for a problem that potentially could have ended her musical career. Valerie lives in Bell Buckle, TN with her daughter, Josie and husband, Kraig. The surgery was successful and her exuberant spirit still continues to set the pace for this Band of young virtuoso musicians. The whole band is multi-instrumentalists. Becky Buller who usually plays fiddle is also known as a song writer of homey and heart felt songs based in her life experiences. She also bangs a mean clawhammer banjo. Becky has been with Valerie for seven years. Chad Graves, who makes the resophonic guitar ring and moan, is also engaging for his spontaneous humor and showmanship. He comes to the group from Morrisville, Mo. Brandon Bostic, a 19 year old prodigy, doubles as Banjo and flat picking guitarist who, if they are paying attention, should be featured in a future issue of Flat Picking Guitar Magazine. His licks are clean and puts out a great tone. As a guitar player, I am always fascinated by guitarists who are "lefties," and exhibit such extraordinary skill. Brandon comes from Milton Fl.

Finally there is Bobby Davis, the band's bassist and occasional fiddle player. He hails from Wheatfield Indiana. The story of Valarie's band trip to Indian State Prison begins with his connection through another bluegrass band. The first band Bobby played with was a band called the B.A.D. Bluegrass Band. Bobby's interest in bluegrass music was somewhat aided by one of B.A.D.'s founding members, Bob Rawlins. Bob, now known, for his role as Chaplain of Indiana State Prison, gave 19 year old Bobby his first job as a bass player for the B.A.D.

Though the band is a regional band, Bobby maintains contact and occasionally plays with the B.A.D. The acronym, B.A.D. stands for Bob, Al and Don, the first three original members of this band. Bobby's close ties to this band was punctuated by the tragic death of Al Shoemaker, lead singer and dobro player, in an auto accident near Hanna, IN on November 16, 2001. He was a highly respected musician, family man and involved with the Starke County Fine Arts Commission and a Viet Nam veteran.

The "D" in the B.A.D. stands for Don Buchanan, one of the most sought after banjoist in northwest Indiana. Don has over 30 years in bluegrass music and is ambassador for the genre in northwest Indiana and eastern Illinois. Don lives near Hebron, IN.

Once a teenage boy came home to his mother and said, Mom, I want you to meet my new girlfriend. Have an open mind will you. She said, "Yes son, I'll keep an open mind."

He said, "Remember, an open mind." She says, Yes, dear." Musing to herself, she thinks, "It is amazing how much prejudice can be crammed into an open mind." (Mel Lazarus in Momma). Any musician who can get past preconceptions of what prison and prisoners are like can experience a genuine reception and true appreciation. Bobby Davis stated on his visit to ISP, "It wasn't at all like I expected. We really had a great time."

The Chaplain and Administration of Indiana State Prison extend an invitation to any Band who may be passing through northern Indiana to come by and pick and sing a few tunes. The Valerie Smith's team reminds us of a Biblical text which states "I was in prison and you vi - 1/18/2008, Bob Rawlins, Chaplain at Indiana State Prison,

Leader of the multi-faceted Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike, Valerie was facing one of the biggest challenges of her career: vocal troubles. Over the next year and a half, she would undergo two major invasive surgeries and nightmarish side effects from her medications. "This entire process has been more a journey than a revelation," she says today. "I want other singers to know its okay to have problems checked out. You can pick yourself up and keep going."

For many years, Valerie's vocal problems were misdiagnosed as asthma. "I would get respiratory infections and have trouble breathing, so I visited a doctor in 2005 to see what might be the matter. Going into our Germany tour that year, I knew I was going to need surgery when I returned. My throat felt like it was on fire. It hurt so badly to sing. I did a two-song set and had to hand the rest of the show over to the band. I was so afraid the promoters and fans would be angry." The experience was devastating on a personal level. "There was this sense of losing control. I wasnt feeling well and I experienced a lot of depression," she admits.

As painful as it was, the experience was a turning point for Valerie-the catalyst that forced her to get help. "You train to grow as an artist, and it's hard to realize it all might be taken away," she says.

It was also the moment she realized the need to stop leaning on her own devices and start leaning on faith. "I was scared. I called my preacher in tears from that tour in Germany, and explained to him what I was feeling. His response to me was, Valerie, I don't think you have much of a choice. It's time to step back and let God take center stage and have faith." Valerie tried to absorb his words. "It was not easy to hand everything over. I'm very thankful that my band members [at the time, Becky Buller, Casey Grimes, and Jonathan Maness] could step up when I couldn't. Casey and Becky were able to sing many of the songs. I've always been very discerning about who I hire, and my band is very versatile. So in that sense, I knew they could handle it," she recalls.

As soon as she got back to the United States, Valerie saw Dr. Gaelyn Garrett, Associate Professor with the Department of Otolaryngology at Vanderbilt University, a specialist she'd consulted earlier for her symptoms. "Before I left for Germany, Dr. Garrett found that I had two large cysts on my vocal chords. They were infected and in pretty bad shape," she remembers.

On May 23, 2006, Valerie underwent surgery to remove the cysts. She thought it would be the end of the matter, but as it turned out, she was wrong. "They were able to successfully remove the cysts, and Dr. Garrett told me the good news was that I should be able to sing normally. However, there was also bad news. While they were doing the surgery, they discovered a growth on one of the string muscles below my vocal chords."

This growth was the cause of Valerie's asthmatic symptoms, and appeared to be the main contributor to her breathing difficulties. "Dr. Garrett said I'd probably had the tumor since childhood. It was hard for me to hear people tell me they thought my voice was unique, because I knew how much pain I was in when I would sing," she remembers. The doctor told Valerie that she would need a second surgery, to remove the growth, within the year. Fear set in, as she began wondering if she'd be able to sing for a living anymore.

Though all her hopes were pinned on the procedures, complications set in. She developed a staph infection and had a brutal reaction to Prednisone, a steroid prescribed to reduce the swelling around her vocal chords. "I was actually allergic to it, but no one realized it at the time. It caused me to become someone I wasn't. I literally became obsessive compulsive!" Valerie's actions while she was taking the medication caused her tremendous disorientation and sadness when she wasn't taking it. "I couldn't find things, because under the influence of the Prednisone, I'd stash them places I normally wouldn't. My nature is to be laid back, but the reaction was sending me to on cleaning binges when I wasn't on the road. Then, when I wasn't on the medication I wouldn't recognize my own home. I felt like I'd stepped into someone else's world, she recalled.

She was reassured that no Prednisone would be used in the second procedure, but somehow, it was administered again, with similarly disastrous results. Trying to protect a professional image, Valerie made the decision to not tell anyone what she was experiencing. She admits now that her reticence was a mistake. "I hit my lowest point after my second surgery. Because I didn't speak up, they gave me a sedative that mixed [badly] with the other medications I was on. It really took me over the edge." Every aspect of her life was negatively impacted. "I felt I caused band members suffer. I know my musical partner Becky Buller suffered, along with my marriage and my daughter. I came out of the second sur - 12/1/2007, Shari Lacy, Bluegrass Now Magazine

Leader of the multi-faceted Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike, Valerie was facing one of the biggest challenges of her career: vocal troubles. Over the next year and a half, she would undergo two major invasive surgeries and nightmarish side effects from her medications. "This entire process has been more a journey than a revelation," she says today. "I want other singers to know its okay to have problems checked out. You can pick yourself up and keep going."

For many years, Valerie's vocal problems were misdiagnosed as asthma. "I would get respiratory infections and have trouble breathing, so I visited a doctor in 2005 to see what might be the matter. Going into our Germany tour that year, I knew I was going to need surgery when I returned. My throat felt like it was on fire. It hurt so badly to sing. I did a two-song set and had to hand the rest of the show over to the band. I was so afraid the promoters and fans would be angry." The experience was devastating on a personal level. "There was this sense of losing control. I wasnt feeling well and I experienced a lot of depression," she admits.

As painful as it was, the experience was a turning point for Valerie-the catalyst that forced her to get help. "You train to grow as an artist, and it's hard to realize it all might be taken away," she says.

It was also the moment she realized the need to stop leaning on her own devices and start leaning on faith. "I was scared. I called my preacher in tears from that tour in Germany, and explained to him what I was feeling. His response to me was, Valerie, I don't think you have much of a choice. It's time to step back and let God take center stage and have faith." Valerie tried to absorb his words. "It was not easy to hand everything over. I'm very thankful that my band members [at the time, Becky Buller, Casey Grimes, and Jonathan Maness] could step up when I couldn't. Casey and Becky were able to sing many of the songs. I've always been very discerning about who I hire, and my band is very versatile. So in that sense, I knew they could handle it," she recalls.

As soon as she got back to the United States, Valerie saw Dr. Gaelyn Garrett, Associate Professor with the Department of Otolaryngology at Vanderbilt University, a specialist she'd consulted earlier for her symptoms. "Before I left for Germany, Dr. Garrett found that I had two large cysts on my vocal chords. They were infected and in pretty bad shape," she remembers.

On May 23, 2006, Valerie underwent surgery to remove the cysts. She thought it would be the end of the matter, but as it turned out, she was wrong. "They were able to successfully remove the cysts, and Dr. Garrett told me the good news was that I should be able to sing normally. However, there was also bad news. While they were doing the surgery, they discovered a growth on one of the string muscles below my vocal chords."

This growth was the cause of Valerie's asthmatic symptoms, and appeared to be the main contributor to her breathing difficulties. "Dr. Garrett said I'd probably had the tumor since childhood. It was hard for me to hear people tell me they thought my voice was unique, because I knew how much pain I was in when I would sing," she remembers. The doctor told Valerie that she would need a second surgery, to remove the growth, within the year. Fear set in, as she began wondering if she'd be able to sing for a living anymore.

Though all her hopes were pinned on the procedures, complications set in. She developed a staph infection and had a brutal reaction to Prednisone, a steroid prescribed to reduce the swelling around her vocal chords. "I was actually allergic to it, but no one realized it at the time. It caused me to become someone I wasn't. I literally became obsessive compulsive!" Valerie's actions while she was taking the medication caused her tremendous disorientation and sadness when she wasn't taking it. "I couldn't find things, because under the influence of the Prednisone, I'd stash them places I normally wouldn't. My nature is to be laid back, but the reaction was sending me to on cleaning binges when I wasn't on the road. Then, when I wasn't on the medication I wouldn't recognize my own home. I felt like I'd stepped into someone else's world, she recalled.

She was reassured that no Prednisone would be used in the second procedure, but somehow, it was administered again, with similarly disastrous results. Trying to protect a professional image, Valerie made the decision to not tell anyone what she was experiencing. She admits now that her reticence was a mistake. "I hit my lowest point after my second surgery. Because I didn't speak up, they gave me a sedative that mixed [badly] with the other medications I was on. It really took me over the edge." Every aspect of her life was negatively impacted. "I felt I caused band members suffer. I know my musical partner Becky Buller suffered, along with my marriage and my daughter. I came out of the second sur - 12/1/2007, Shari Lacy, Bluegrass Now Magazine

I have known Valerie Smith for around a decade and on two occasions she made guest appearances on my radio shows and left lasting impressions. Hers is a wonderfully pure form of Bluegrass-based music but this is the first time that Valerie has embarked upon a full gospel project and I have to say that it is absolutely enchanting. Valerie possesses the purest, sweetest voice that bubbles and trills like a mountain stream. There is none of harshness that one usually associates with acoustic music of this genre and in terms of restrained singing and soulful interpretations of songs written by such diverse writers as Claire Lynch, Lisa Aschmann, Becky Buller, Sarah Majors and Ira & Charlie Louvin, Valerie Smith has no equal. I love the way she cuts from traditional 3-finger Bluegrass banjo to the far older clawhammer style (courtesy of the talented Becky Buller) and allows the resophonic guitar to take over from Dobro to bolster her wonderful singing and phrasing. In short, Valerie has a voice to die for. Just listen to the way she re-invents the Louvins' superb "Make Him A Soldier", with its fabulous interwoven vocal harmonies, and makes it her own, with help from Casey Grimes, Jonathan Maines and Becky Buller on backup vocals.

I would imagine that the general thrust of music here will be unfamiliar to readers, although some will be aware of the Louvin Brothers. Do not let that factor put you off because, in terms of modern American traditionalism, Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike ought to be spoken of in the same breath as Bill Monroe and Alison Krauss. Yes, the album really is that good and cries out to be noticed.

- 10/26/2007, Bryan Chalker, Traditional Music Magazine

I have known Valerie Smith for around a decade and on two occasions she made guest appearances on my radio shows and left lasting impressions. Hers is a wonderfully pure form of Bluegrass-based music but this is the first time that Valerie has embarked upon a full gospel project and I have to say that it is absolutely enchanting. Valerie possesses the purest, sweetest voice that bubbles and trills like a mountain stream. There is none of harshness that one usually associates with acoustic music of this genre and in terms of restrained singing and soulful interpretations of songs written by such diverse writers as Claire Lynch, Lisa Aschmann, Becky Buller, Sarah Majors and Ira & Charlie Louvin, Valerie Smith has no equal. I love the way she cuts from traditional 3-finger Bluegrass banjo to the far older clawhammer style (courtesy of the talented Becky Buller) and allows the resophonic guitar to take over from Dobro to bolster her wonderful singing and phrasing. In short, Valerie has a voice to die for. Just listen to the way she re-invents the Louvins' superb "Make Him A Soldier", with its fabulous interwoven vocal harmonies, and makes it her own, with help from Casey Grimes, Jonathan Maines and Becky Buller on backup vocals.

I would imagine that the general thrust of music here will be unfamiliar to readers, although some will be aware of the Louvin Brothers. Do not let that factor put you off because, in terms of modern American traditionalism, Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike ought to be spoken of in the same breath as Bill Monroe and Alison Krauss. Yes, the album really is that good and cries out to be noticed.

- 10/26/2007, Bryan Chalker, Traditional Music Magazine

As I enjoyed the Sunday gospel music presentation last year at the IBMA World of Bluegrass, there was one group that hit the stage that barreled through with such energy, such electricity, that I could not help but want to find out more about this dynamic group from Bell Buckle, Tenn.

Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike includes Valerie on lead vocals, the motion intensive Becky Buller on fiddle, clawhammer banjo and harmony vocals, Chad Graves on resophonic guitar and vocals, Bobby Davis on bass, and Jonathan Maness on guitar, mandolin and harmony vocals.

After seeing the group in person, I was anxious to see if they could carry the enthusiasm for performing into the CD world and after listening over and over again to "Wash Your Troubles Away," I can say for sure they do.

My long time friend Alan O'Bryant of Nashville Bluegrass Band produced the project for Bell Buckle Records.

One aside, I personally think the artwork for the CD is wonderful, the use of black and white images of Valerie's family on the farm were woven into the theme and give it a wonderful sense of what is hidden within. It is a musical tribute tied strongly to the rich fertile land of Missouri where Valerie's family made home.

There is soulfulness to their performances that reflects a mixture of sounds of the rural white and black cultures. Much as Elvis infused rock n' roll with the sounds of black gospel, Valerie and her group seem to be adding that to the bluegrass genre, especially with songs such as the "Soul Phone."

In a telephone interview April 10, Valerie said that that is one of their most requested songs along with "The Rain" and "Seeds."

Valerie shared that she is not really seeking a different path from other artists; she is just seeking what she likes.

"I like to create the sound I like to create," she said. "It's how I interpret the music I want to make. I think it's different than a lot of bluegrass music out there. That is just the natural process of how I make music."

She said that she and Becky Buller, who writes much of the material Valerie sings, are completing a new duet project.

"It"s going to be a very simple album with just a little instrumentation," she said. "Mostly, it's going to be circled around the vocals.

"I wanted to showcase Becky in some way as to how big a part of my sound she is," Valerie said.

She said she enjoys all the songs she records.

"They all have their strengths," she said.

One of the songs included in the CD is the Louvin Brothers classic "Make Him a Soldier."

"That song has always stood out to me," she said.

Valerie said she has a great respect for their music and for Charlie Louvin for whom she shared the stage at the Grand Ole Opry and in a recording on her first album.

She said that Doyle Lawson is one of the artists she truly looks up to because of his consistency of music, professional shows and his relationship with his fans.

She is traveling all around the country this festival season and her closest appearance will be at the Foggy Hollow Grass Gathering in Webster Chapel, Ala. September 29.

"I look forward to seeing folks at festivals this year," she said. "If they've never been to a bluegrass festival, they need to go to one. I think they'd enjoy it."

To find out more or get her music, visit valeriesmithonline.com.

Randall Franks is an award-winning musician, singer and actor. He is best known for his role as "Officer Randy Goode" on TV's "In the Heat of the Night," now on Turner South. His latest CD release, "God's Children," is by etrecordshop.com. He is a member of the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame. He is a columnist and staff writer for The Catoosa County News and can be reached at rfranks@catoosanews.com. - 4/18/2007, Randall Franks, Catoosa County News

As I enjoyed the Sunday gospel music presentation last year at the IBMA World of Bluegrass, there was one group that hit the stage that barreled through with such energy, such electricity, that I could not help but want to find out more about this dynamic group from Bell Buckle, Tenn.

Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike includes Valerie on lead vocals, the motion intensive Becky Buller on fiddle, clawhammer banjo and harmony vocals, Chad Graves on resophonic guitar and vocals, Bobby Davis on bass, and Jonathan Maness on guitar, mandolin and harmony vocals.

After seeing the group in person, I was anxious to see if they could carry the enthusiasm for performing into the CD world and after listening over and over again to "Wash Your Troubles Away," I can say for sure they do.

My long time friend Alan O'Bryant of Nashville Bluegrass Band produced the project for Bell Buckle Records.

One aside, I personally think the artwork for the CD is wonderful, the use of black and white images of Valerie's family on the farm were woven into the theme and give it a wonderful sense of what is hidden within. It is a musical tribute tied strongly to the rich fertile land of Missouri where Valerie's family made home.

There is soulfulness to their performances that reflects a mixture of sounds of the rural white and black cultures. Much as Elvis infused rock n' roll with the sounds of black gospel, Valerie and her group seem to be adding that to the bluegrass genre, especially with songs such as the "Soul Phone."

In a telephone interview April 10, Valerie said that that is one of their most requested songs along with "The Rain" and "Seeds."

Valerie shared that she is not really seeking a different path from other artists; she is just seeking what she likes.

"I like to create the sound I like to create," she said. "It's how I interpret the music I want to make. I think it's different than a lot of bluegrass music out there. That is just the natural process of how I make music."

She said that she and Becky Buller, who writes much of the material Valerie sings, are completing a new duet project.

"It"s going to be a very simple album with just a little instrumentation," she said. "Mostly, it's going to be circled around the vocals.

"I wanted to showcase Becky in some way as to how big a part of my sound she is," Valerie said.

She said she enjoys all the songs she records.

"They all have their strengths," she said.

One of the songs included in the CD is the Louvin Brothers classic "Make Him a Soldier."

"That song has always stood out to me," she said.

Valerie said she has a great respect for their music and for Charlie Louvin for whom she shared the stage at the Grand Ole Opry and in a recording on her first album.

She said that Doyle Lawson is one of the artists she truly looks up to because of his consistency of music, professional shows and his relationship with his fans.

She is traveling all around the country this festival season and her closest appearance will be at the Foggy Hollow Grass Gathering in Webster Chapel, Ala. September 29.

"I look forward to seeing folks at festivals this year," she said. "If they've never been to a bluegrass festival, they need to go to one. I think they'd enjoy it."

To find out more or get her music, visit valeriesmithonline.com.

Randall Franks is an award-winning musician, singer and actor. He is best known for his role as "Officer Randy Goode" on TV's "In the Heat of the Night," now on Turner South. His latest CD release, "God's Children," is by etrecordshop.com. He is a member of the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame. He is a columnist and staff writer for The Catoosa County News and can be reached at rfranks@catoosanews.com. - 4/18/2007, Randall Franks, Catoosa County News

Let's begin with a few basic facts: Valerie Smith was nominated for 2006 Female Vocalist of the Year. Becky Buller was nominated for 1996 Fiddle Player of the Year. And both ladies were nominated for their work on the Daughters of Bluegrass project Back to the Well, which won the prestigious 2006 Recorded Event of the Year.

If you have attended a Smith performance you know how she radiates enthusiasm for the music she plays. Now, for the first time, Smith, an unrestrained bundle of energy, has released her first all gospel album. The project, a joyous celebration of praise, proclaims, "The name of the Lord is music to my ears." And, the interesting array of selections will be music to your ears.

A powerful opening track, "The Rain," sets the tone for a first rate listening experience. Other highlights are soulful a capella arrangements of "My Jesus" and "Soul Phone," a plaintive "Wings to Fly," the sensitive waltz, "Seeds," and "Blossom on the Almond Tree" which features exemplary harmonies. Two of my favorite selections are the lighthearted "God's Refrigerator" (a delightful story in which a person who believes that no one cares suddenly finds herself in God's kitchen where He has proudly taped all of her childhood drawings on his refrigerator as a sign of enduring love) and the phenomenal quartet cover for the Louvin Brothers' "Make Him A Soldier."

Throughout the recording Smith's vocals convey honesty and heartfelt emotion. Her band, Liberty Pike, demonstrate tasteful and highly capable support. Members include Buller (fiddle, clawhammer, 5-string viola and harmony vocals), Casey Grimes on acoustic bass and harmony vocals) and Jonathon Maness on guitar, mandolin and harmony vocals). Special guests include the incomparable Mike Compton on mandolin, Alan O'Bryant on banjo and Matt Leadbetter on Dobro. - 1/9/2007, Bob Mitchell, Louisville Music News

Let's begin with a few basic facts: Valerie Smith was nominated for 2006 Female Vocalist of the Year. Becky Buller was nominated for 1996 Fiddle Player of the Year. And both ladies were nominated for their work on the Daughters of Bluegrass project Back to the Well, which won the prestigious 2006 Recorded Event of the Year.

If you have attended a Smith performance you know how she radiates enthusiasm for the music she plays. Now, for the first time, Smith, an unrestrained bundle of energy, has released her first all gospel album. The project, a joyous celebration of praise, proclaims, "The name of the Lord is music to my ears." And, the interesting array of selections will be music to your ears.

A powerful opening track, "The Rain," sets the tone for a first rate listening experience. Other highlights are soulful a capella arrangements of "My Jesus" and "Soul Phone," a plaintive "Wings to Fly," the sensitive waltz, "Seeds," and "Blossom on the Almond Tree" which features exemplary harmonies. Two of my favorite selections are the lighthearted "God's Refrigerator" (a delightful story in which a person who believes that no one cares suddenly finds herself in God's kitchen where He has proudly taped all of her childhood drawings on his refrigerator as a sign of enduring love) and the phenomenal quartet cover for the Louvin Brothers' "Make Him A Soldier."

Throughout the recording Smith's vocals convey honesty and heartfelt emotion. Her band, Liberty Pike, demonstrate tasteful and highly capable support. Members include Buller (fiddle, clawhammer, 5-string viola and harmony vocals), Casey Grimes on acoustic bass and harmony vocals) and Jonathon Maness on guitar, mandolin and harmony vocals). Special guests include the incomparable Mike Compton on mandolin, Alan O'Bryant on banjo and Matt Leadbetter on Dobro. - 1/9/2007, Bob Mitchell, Louisville Music News

Missouri-based Valerie Smith's fifth album, "Wash Away Your Troubles" is a set of electrifying highly original gospel-infused acoustic music. Smith sings with distinctive panache, and she goes with material from respected songcrafters who have given her winning compositions in the past -- Becky Buller, Lisa Aschmann and Mark Simos. They also cover a Louvin Brothers favorite, "Make Him A Soldier," Claire Lynch and Cindy Greene's "Wings To Fly", and Sarah Majors' "Soul Phone." Impressed by Valerie's work ethic and determination, this album was produced by Alan O'Bryant.

Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike were nominated for IBMA's Emerging Artist Awards of 1999 and 2000. She's also been recognized by midwest bluegrass fans when nominated as SPBGMA's "Traditional Bluegrass Female Vocalist of the Year" award in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2002. "Wash Away Your Troubles" features Liberty Pike's current lineup -- Becky Buller (fiddle, viola, clawhammer banjo, vocals), Casey Grimes (bass, vocals), and Jonathan Maness (guitar, mandolin, vocals). On 2-3 tracks apiece, guests include Mike Compton (mandolin), Aaron Jackson (guitar), Matt Leadbetter (resophonic guitar, vocals), and Alan O'Bryant (banjo).

The group elegantly assumes a devout tone on songs where the messages are paramount. Although not uploaded yet, lyrics will soon be online at ValerieSmithOnline.com. "Wash away your troubles, wash away your pain" is the opening salvo in "The Rain." The set then progresses through some first pew music before elegantly closing with the refrain, "Lead us to your ocean, make us into water" to epitomize the band's love and praise of God.

Songwriting is both art and craft. Becky Buller had a hand in four composing songs on this CD, and she knows how to cultivate her creative ideas into blossoming works. With her lively old-time banjo, "Getting Ready for Sunday," for example, is a call for each and every heart to prepare and make time for church. Only about six years ago (2001), Becky won the bluegrass category of the prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at MerleFest in Wilksboro, N.C. She's starting to see more and more bluegrass groups covering her expressive material.

Five songs on this project exhibit the stylistic writing of Nashville-based Lisa Aschmann who has written thousands of songs in many genres, with more than 300 covered by country, bluegrass and acoustic artists. Lisa's perspectives, often in collaboration with co-writer Mark Simos or others, show innovation ("God's Refrigerator"), spirituality ("Music To My Ears"), and revelation ("Blossoms on the Almond Tree"). Much in the same manner that her songs take root and flourish, a song like "Seeds" asks a simple folksy question to guide one's journey in life that will hopefully result in an individual finding meaning, purpose and salvation. Claire Lynch's alluring song also offers an encouraging message to persevere "I will walk 'til I have wings to fly."

There is excellent talent on this album, and the band presents some wonderful new material in spare settings that encourage intimacy with the lyrics. Valerie's direct messages reflect the eclectic sounds, influences, and textures of her Midwest home. With country, folk and bluegrass components, one primary goal of her music is to connect us all as human beings and relate evocative and inspirational messages from the depths of her heart and soul. - 1/3/2007, Joe Ross,

Missouri-based Valerie Smith's fifth album, "Wash Away Your Troubles" is a set of electrifying highly original gospel-infused acoustic music. Smith sings with distinctive panache, and she goes with material from respected songcrafters who have given her winning compositions in the past -- Becky Buller, Lisa Aschmann and Mark Simos. They also cover a Louvin Brothers favorite, "Make Him A Soldier," Claire Lynch and Cindy Greene's "Wings To Fly", and Sarah Majors' "Soul Phone." Impressed by Valerie's work ethic and determination, this album was produced by Alan O'Bryant.

Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike were nominated for IBMA's Emerging Artist Awards of 1999 and 2000. She's also been recognized by midwest bluegrass fans when nominated as SPBGMA's "Traditional Bluegrass Female Vocalist of the Year" award in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2002. "Wash Away Your Troubles" features Liberty Pike's current lineup -- Becky Buller (fiddle, viola, clawhammer banjo, vocals), Casey Grimes (bass, vocals), and Jonathan Maness (guitar, mandolin, vocals). On 2-3 tracks apiece, guests include Mike Compton (mandolin), Aaron Jackson (guitar), Matt Leadbetter (resophonic guitar, vocals), and Alan O'Bryant (banjo).

The group elegantly assumes a devout tone on songs where the messages are paramount. Although not uploaded yet, lyrics will soon be online at ValerieSmithOnline.com. "Wash away your troubles, wash away your pain" is the opening salvo in "The Rain." The set then progresses through some first pew music before elegantly closing with the refrain, "Lead us to your ocean, make us into water" to epitomize the band's love and praise of God.

Songwriting is both art and craft. Becky Buller had a hand in four composing songs on this CD, and she knows how to cultivate her creative ideas into blossoming works. With her lively old-time banjo, "Getting Ready for Sunday," for example, is a call for each and every heart to prepare and make time for church. Only about six years ago (2001), Becky won the bluegrass category of the prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at MerleFest in Wilksboro, N.C. She's starting to see more and more bluegrass groups covering her expressive material.

Five songs on this project exhibit the stylistic writing of Nashville-based Lisa Aschmann who has written thousands of songs in many genres, with more than 300 covered by country, bluegrass and acoustic artists. Lisa's perspectives, often in collaboration with co-writer Mark Simos or others, show innovation ("God's Refrigerator"), spirituality ("Music To My Ears"), and revelation ("Blossoms on the Almond Tree"). Much in the same manner that her songs take root and flourish, a song like "Seeds" asks a simple folksy question to guide one's journey in life that will hopefully result in an individual finding meaning, purpose and salvation. Claire Lynch's alluring song also offers an encouraging message to persevere "I will walk 'til I have wings to fly."

There is excellent talent on this album, and the band presents some wonderful new material in spare settings that encourage intimacy with the lyrics. Valerie's direct messages reflect the eclectic sounds, influences, and textures of her Midwest home. With country, folk and bluegrass components, one primary goal of her music is to connect us all as human beings and relate evocative and inspirational messages from the depths of her heart and soul. - 1/3/2007, Joe Ross,

My wife, the toughest critic of female vocalists that ever lived, said of Valerie Smith, "She has a great voice! She does a great job on that song, that song being "Music To My Ears." "What do you like about it" I ask? "She has a good husky voice, full, not shrill and high pitched, and I like the old-time modal banjo sound." I can't argue with that! Other tunes that caught our ears (including my 12 year old daughter) were the a cappella "Soul Phone," with its neat "Whooo-hooo" harmony vocals, the bluesy "My Jesus" (from Becky Buller's pen), "Make Him A Soldier" (from the Louvins and sounding a bit like Doyle Lawson presentation), and the ending "Raise This River," which has a lovely melody.

This is one of those albums where it is impossible to select a highlight because every song is good. There is a lot of variety from song to song and the entire recording has a fresh, clean sound to it. It's never overproduced. All the instruments (including Smith's wonderful voice) are mixed just right. The melodies are catchy, the harmonies are essential to the song, the instrumental flavor varies, and well...it's just a great CD. If that's not enough, the liner notes are neat, too. I really got a kick out of the self-portrait that Smith's uncle took. You'll need to get the CD and see for yourself.

- 4/9/2007, Bryan Kimsey, Bluegrass Now Magazine Reviews 4/9/2007, Bryan Kimsey, Bluegrass Now Magazin

My wife, the toughest critic of female vocalists that ever lived, said of Valerie Smith, "She has a great voice! She does a great job on that song, that song being "Music To My Ears." "What do you like about it" I ask? "She has a good husky voice, full, not shrill and high pitched, and I like the old-time modal banjo sound." I can't argue with that! Other tunes that caught our ears (including my 12 year old daughter) were the a cappella "Soul Phone," with its neat "Whooo-hooo" harmony vocals, the bluesy "My Jesus" (from Becky Buller's pen), "Make Him A Soldier" (from the Louvins and sounding a bit like Doyle Lawson presentation), and the ending "Raise This River," which has a lovely melody.

This is one of those albums where it is impossible to select a highlight because every song is good. There is a lot of variety from song to song and the entire recording has a fresh, clean sound to it. It's never overproduced. All the instruments (including Smith's wonderful voice) are mixed just right. The melodies are catchy, the harmonies are essential to the song, the instrumental flavor varies, and well...it's just a great CD. If that's not enough, the liner notes are neat, too. I really got a kick out of the self-portrait that Smith's uncle took. You'll need to get the CD and see for yourself.

- 4/9/2007, Bryan Kimsey, Bluegrass Now Magazine Reviews 4/9/2007, Bryan Kimsey, Bluegrass Now Magazin

Bluegrass musicians Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike, including St. James native Becky Buller, swooped into town this week to start their 2006 tour among a number of big happenings for the band.

They will play a concert on Friday night at the First Lutheran Church in St. James.

Their latest album, "That's What Love Can Do," and a single, "In Those Mines," have both been moving up the blugrass charts for the past 6 months.

Just last week, Smith said the band was featured on the National Public Radio program "All Things Considered."

On a more local note, they have started their tour with an "introduction to bluegrass" program for school children. On Tuesday this week the band was in Windom, and on Wednesday and Thursday they are visiting St. James schools.

The band will release a new gospel album, "Getting Ready For Sunday," this spring. Buller said the new album is full of "great new sounds," and Smith said the band will perform some of the new music on Friday. In addition, they will record the performance and make the live CD available to concert-goers right after the show. "We are the only bluegrass band that is doing that right now," said Smith.

After St. James, the tour keeps going through the midwest, before the band leaves for Europe, where they will play in Germany, Denmark, and The Netherlands.

More can be found at valeriesmithonline.com or beckybuller.com. - 3/9/2006, Mark Anderson, St. James Plaindealer

Revolutionaries come in many guises. Becky Buller is a St. James native who could well be revolutionizing the sound of bluegrass. But she's best known for her songwriting. Buller plays with the band Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike. They're playing at a big bluegrass festival in Plymouth this weekend.

Owatonna, Minn. - Becky Buller's album "Little Bird" rode to the top of the bluegrass charts for most of 2004. Top bluegrass artists like Rhonda Vincent have recorded her songs.

But life on the road with a bluegrass band isn't glamorous. Buller and Liberty Pike's tour bus is parked outside a Famous Dave's in Owatonna on a dreary day. It's kind of depressing. But the wiry, red-headed, 27-year-old in a Kermit the frog T-shirt who opens the tour bus door is positively chirpy.

Buller leads the way inside where a few band members are noodling around on their instruments. Buller plays fiddle, viola, claw hammer banjo, and sings.

Her family had its own bluegrass band in southern Minnesota. And Buller says as a child she desperately wanted to play with her parents.

"The only thing they didn't have was a fiddle," she says. "And I bugged them for a year to get me lessons and they finally got me Suzuki violin method lessons. But my teacher knew that I really wanted to play fiddle, so she taught me some fiddle tunes on the side."

Buller grew up on tour. She says she and her family got on a bus every weekend to play at concerts and festivals.

"It was like going out on a holiday every weekend," she says. "It was like Christmas because we'd get Froot Loops. We'd get those little 10-pack boxes of sugary cereals, which they wouldn't let us have at home. That was just a big deal to me, and I was always just kind of sad when we'd come back after playing."

Buller has been writing songs almost as long as she's been playing bluegrass. She says she started by imitating the traditional tunes her family played, then branched out on her own. In time, her family began to perform some of her songs. In college, she won a couple prestigious songwriting awards.

By 23 she had left the family band and to join another musical family, Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike. Smith has been singing bluegrass with jazz influences for years. Bluegrass Now Magazine editor Wayne Blitzo says Buller is finding her way under the direction of Valerie Smith.

"Val is the key to her getting started," Blitzo says. "And there's almost a motherly kind of bond with them, and I think eventually Becky will go out on her own. But I think right now she feels real, real comfortable."

Blitzo says the thing that makes Buller's bluegrass so unique is her classical training. He says her instrumentation is richer and subtler than most bluegrass. There are also Smith's jazz influences.

Buller says she writes from her experiences. And she still gets excited when she finds something new.

"And I'll be like oh I'm so excited I wrote this new song," she exclaims. "And she'll sing it to me over the phone," Smith interjects. "And I do that to my mom a lot," Buller continues. "And my mom, she's a typical Minnesotan mom. And she'll say, well, it has potential. And I'll say what does that mean, do you like it?"

Valerie Smith's next album will be all gospel bluegrass. It will feature Buller's song, "Rain." Smith recorded three of Buller's songs for her last release. J. Gregory Heinike is Liberty Pike's manager. He says sometimes bluegrass traditionalists take Liberty Pike and Buller to task for their sound.

"A lot of bluegrass bands play a lot of the old traditional songs," he says. "If you go to a bluegrass festival you hear 'Cabin on the Hill' ten different times. They're all great songs, and they move people. But these kids plow their own field."

And they are kids -- Valerie Smith's kids. Smith says she chooses the band members she does because each of them have unique styles that add to her sound.

"All these folks in here, they're artists," she beams. "They could all front their own band and do their own thing. And there's not one of them that I haven't spotted either three or four years ago and knew about them, before they even knew about me probably, and thought, someday maybe I'll get to work with them."

Smith and Buller both say they aren't out to change the face of bluegrass, but if they do, so be it.

Becky Buller will perform with Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike at the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association's festival this weekend in Plymouth. - 3/2/2006, Sea Stachura, Minnesota Public Radio

Bluegrass musicians Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike, including St. James native Becky Buller, swooped into town this week to start their 2006 tour among a number of big happenings for the band.

They will play a concert on Friday night at the First Lutheran Church in St. James.

Their latest album, "That's What Love Can Do," and a single, "In Those Mines," have both been moving up the blugrass charts for the past 6 months.

Just last week, Smith said the band was featured on the National Public Radio program "All Things Considered."

On a more local note, they have started their tour with an "introduction to bluegrass" program for school children. On Tuesday this week the band was in Windom, and on Wednesday and Thursday they are visiting St. James schools.

The band will release a new gospel album, "Getting Ready For Sunday," this spring. Buller said the new album is full of "great new sounds," and Smith said the band will perform some of the new music on Friday. In addition, they will record the performance and make the live CD available to concert-goers right after the show. "We are the only bluegrass band that is doing that right now," said Smith.

After St. James, the tour keeps going through the midwest, before the band leaves for Europe, where they will play in Germany, Denmark, and The Netherlands.

More can be found at valeriesmithonline.com or beckybuller.com. - 3/9/2006, Mark Anderson, St. James Plaindealer

It's fitting that Valerie Smith and her band, Liberty Pike, will be headed into the studio in the coming weeks to record a gospel album.

After all, she first gave flight to her angelic voice singing Baptist hymns in the Missouri church in which she grew up. And ever since she started playing and singing bluegrass for the public, her fans have been asking her about recording a gospel record.

"Every time we play, someone comes up and asks, `Do you have a gospel record?" Smith told The Daily Times this week. "I finally figured out that someone was trying to tell me something and lead me in that direction, so that's what we're going to do next."

It's the latest project by a woman who, along with Alison Krauss and Rhonda Vincent, represents the best of female contemporary bluegrass players. And like the best bluegrass pickers, Smith sings with the conviction and soul of a woman who has lived that of which she sings.

Growing up, Smith helped her parents raise tobacco, potatoes and corn, a full-time job for the entire family while her father also worked in an auto assembly plant. Shortly after discovering her musical inclinations, her parents began encouraging her, and she learned to play the fiddle accompanying local country and bluegrass musicians around her hometown of Holt.

As a youngster, she was influenced by the rich melting pot of musical influences that converged on Kentucky -- Western music, jazz from Kansas City and bluegrass from nearby Kentucky and Tennessee. Growing up in music, she decided to make it her calling in life as well, and she attended the University of Missouri Conservatory of Music in Kansas City, where she received her bachelor's degree in vocal music education.

While there, she met her future husband, Kraig Smith, and shortly after the two married, while she was teaching school in her hometown, her husband's job took the family to Nashville. It was there that she began moving into performing as a full-time career.

She formed the acoustic country group Fresh Cactus and honed her singing and songwriting skills around town. While doing so, she was "adopted" by old-time musicians Junior and Betty Parker, who invited her to play with them in their hometown of Bell Buckle, and Smith immediately fell in love with the place.

"It reminded me a lot of my hometown, and I liked the energy and atmosphere there," said Smith, who now calls Bell Buckle home. "It just seemed like a town with the sort of artistic vibe that was very positive and encouraged music and other artistic endeavors, and it felt like a place I wanted to call home and make music in."

In Bell Buckle, Smith met local entrepreneur J. Gregory Heinike, owner of the Bell Buckle Café, and with Smith's husband, the two of them formed Bell Buckle Records. On that label, she released her debut album, "Patchwork Heart," and saw her career began to grow on the radar screen of bluegrass fans across the Southeast.

She's since followed it up with "Turtle Wings," "No Summer Storm" and "That's What Love Can Do," her most recent album. She's performed in New York, London, Berlin, Dublin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and hundreds of other venues throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, and in April and May she'll travel to Germany for a month-long stint of shows supporting "That's What Love Can Do" and the forthcoming gospel album. She's received several International Bluegrass Music Association Awards and been nominated for a Grammy as part of Ralph Stanley's Clinch Mountain Sweethearts project.

She's also gearing up for a the Bell Buckle Music Cruise, a "bluegrass cruise" to Nassau, Bahamas, that will take place at the end of January.

"It's something different," she said with a chuckle. "Cruises are something trendy these days, but we hope that we'll have a lot of fun and treat everyone who goes to some great music."

Other participating bands include Wildfire, the Jeanette Williams Band, Stained Grass Window, Bluegrass Invasion, Bottomline, Smokey Greene and the Slate Mountain Ramblers.

Tonight, however, she and Liberty Pike will return to the Palace Theater for an encore engagement that will feature a mixture of music from all of her albums, she said.

"What I always think of when I think of Maryville and East Tennessee are all of the great people and all of the wonderful bluegrass fans who live there," she said. "We've always gotten a warm welcome, and we always look forward to sharing with our fans there the music that we're making."

"I think folks will see a good show with some great players and hear some really good music. The Palace is a wonderful venue, perfect for what we do, and I hope we see some familiar faces and some new ones as well."

- 1/16/2006, Steve Wildsmith, The Daily Times

It's fitting that Valerie Smith and her band, Liberty Pike, will be headed into the studio in the coming weeks to record a gospel album.

After all, she first gave flight to her angelic voice singing Baptist hymns in the Missouri church in which she grew up. And ever since she started playing and singing bluegrass for the public, her fans have been asking her about recording a gospel record.

"Every time we play, someone comes up and asks, `Do you have a gospel record?" Smith told The Daily Times this week. "I finally figured out that someone was trying to tell me something and lead me in that direction, so that's what we're going to do next."

It's the latest project by a woman who, along with Alison Krauss and Rhonda Vincent, represents the best of female contemporary bluegrass players. And like the best bluegrass pickers, Smith sings with the conviction and soul of a woman who has lived that of which she sings.

Growing up, Smith helped her parents raise tobacco, potatoes and corn, a full-time job for the entire family while her father also worked in an auto assembly plant. Shortly after discovering her musical inclinations, her parents began encouraging her, and she learned to play the fiddle accompanying local country and bluegrass musicians around her hometown of Holt.

As a youngster, she was influenced by the rich melting pot of musical influences that converged on Kentucky -- Western music, jazz from Kansas City and bluegrass from nearby Kentucky and Tennessee. Growing up in music, she decided to make it her calling in life as well, and she attended the University of Missouri Conservatory of Music in Kansas City, where she received her bachelor's degree in vocal music education.

While there, she met her future husband, Kraig Smith, and shortly after the two married, while she was teaching school in her hometown, her husband's job took the family to Nashville. It was there that she began moving into performing as a full-time career.

She formed the acoustic country group Fresh Cactus and honed her singing and songwriting skills around town. While doing so, she was "adopted" by old-time musicians Junior and Betty Parker, who invited her to play with them in their hometown of Bell Buckle, and Smith immediately fell in love with the place.

"It reminded me a lot of my hometown, and I liked the energy and atmosphere there," said Smith, who now calls Bell Buckle home. "It just seemed like a town with the sort of artistic vibe that was very positive and encouraged music and other artistic endeavors, and it felt like a place I wanted to call home and make music in."

In Bell Buckle, Smith met local entrepreneur J. Gregory Heinike, owner of the Bell Buckle Café, and with Smith's husband, the two of them formed Bell Buckle Records. On that label, she released her debut album, "Patchwork Heart," and saw her career began to grow on the radar screen of bluegrass fans across the Southeast.

She's since followed it up with "Turtle Wings," "No Summer Storm" and "That's What Love Can Do," her most recent album. She's performed in New York, London, Berlin, Dublin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and hundreds of other venues throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, and in April and May she'll travel to Germany for a month-long stint of shows supporting "That's What Love Can Do" and the forthcoming gospel album. She's received several International Bluegrass Music Association Awards and been nominated for a Grammy as part of Ralph Stanley's Clinch Mountain Sweethearts project.

She's also gearing up for a the Bell Buckle Music Cruise, a "bluegrass cruise" to Nassau, Bahamas, that will take place at the end of January.

"It's something different," she said with a chuckle. "Cruises are something trendy these days, but we hope that we'll have a lot of fun and treat everyone who goes to some great music."

Other participating bands include Wildfire, the Jeanette Williams Band, Stained Grass Window, Bluegrass Invasion, Bottomline, Smokey Greene and the Slate Mountain Ramblers.

Tonight, however, she and Liberty Pike will return to the Palace Theater for an encore engagement that will feature a mixture of music from all of her albums, she said.

"What I always think of when I think of Maryville and East Tennessee are all of the great people and all of the wonderful bluegrass fans who live there," she said. "We've always gotten a warm welcome, and we always look forward to sharing with our fans there the music that we're making."

"I think folks will see a good show with some great players and hear some really good music. The Palace is a wonderful venue, perfect for what we do, and I hope we see some familiar faces and some new ones as well."

- 1/16/2006, Steve Wildsmith, The Daily Times