Midwest Carolina Blues

#		Title	Length
1		Lonesome, On'ry & Mean	3:49	Play
2		Fly Away	4:53	Play
3		She's Got a Hold On Me	7:57	Play
4		Rockabilly Blue	5:07	Play
5		Red Eye	3:15	Play
6		Jelly, Jelly Blues	5:21	Play
7		It's Been So Long	3:28	Play
8		Stormy Monday Blues/Red House	5:00	Play
			38:50

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Description

"Listeners in search of a roots-rock blast might find their interests piqued by "Midwest Carolina Blues" (Rockabilly Hall of Fame 110), cut in Lincoln, Nebraska by Michael Buffalo Smith & the Rockabilly Hall of Fame Blues Band. This set nicely straddles the line between the two genres but ultimately hews closer to blues, between R&B ballad "It's Been So Long," slow blues "Jelly, Jelly," and the haunting, noir-ish" Rockabilly Blue..."

-BLUES REVUE MAGAZINE
October 2001

"Great music from a big man with a big heart, a big guitar, a big voice, and a message that deserves to be heard. There is no doubt about it. His is a great soul that comes from that place deep within the recesses of our own. His music is not to be denied, it is to be cherished. From one who knows."
-Bobby Whitlock
Derek & The Dominos/Delaney & Bonnie & Friends

"Michael B. Smith is a true Artist! He plays what he loves and we love what he plays! "Mid-West Carolina Blues" is a must for all Southern Music and Blues lovers! Thanks MBS for the great Music!"
- George McCorkle,
Solo Artist & founding member of
The Marshall Tucker Band

"Michael, congratulations on a successful CD. I thought it was "True Gritz." You epitomize the true "Roadhouse Band."Thanks for the tribute on "Fly Away!"
-Jerry LaCroix
(Edgar Winter's White Trash/Rare Earth)


Michael received his very first guitar at the age of seven, a toy Roy Rogers model. Apparently, Smith was less than interested at the time, since the instrument was left outside, leaning against a tall pine tree, and exposed to rain, sleet and snow for about a month. When Michael finally remembered the guitar, it was nothing more than a pile of warped wood and plastic. At the age of ten, Michael was given a set of drums by his parents after begging for almost a year. Unfortunately, the begging lasted much longer than the drums did. After a week or two of trying to play them, Michael awoke one morning to find the drums had mysteriously disappeared. So much for pounding the skins around the Smith household!

He later got a Tiesco guitar and a small plastic amp from K-Mart, thanks to his sister and parents. That instrument was the turning point for young Michael, as he fooled around with it, posing in front of the mirror, and learning a couple of barre chords. He would sit and watch TV with his dad, shows like "Hee Haw" and "Austin City Limits," trying to play along by ear. By now, he had learned how to tune a guitar, "kind of."

In years to come, Michael would take some money from an insurance claim following a car wreck and buy a Yamaha acoustic guitar, and a Marshall Tucker Band Anthology songbook. Between learning the chords to several of the MTB songs from the diagrams, and being shown a couple of chords by a friend that worked with Michael at the grocery store, Smith learned to play "a little bit." As a bit more time passed, Michael began to learn lead patterns from his albums, and spent an entire weekend learning the twin-lead from "Jessica" by The Allman Brothers Band. He was sincerely proud of that one.

While working as sound man and songwriter for a local band in the early 1980's, Michael began to learn more and more guitar as he co-wrote songs with Steve Harvey. Around the same time, the band employed Stuart Swanlund (now a member of The Marshall Tucker Band) as guitarist. Stuart gave Michael lots of confidence, and it helped him through the rejection. Stuart's positive attitude caused Michael to pursue his guitar playing even more.

While attending college in Spartanburg, Michael ran across a guitar playing cat named Gregg Yeary, and the two started getting together to learn covers of everything from Lynyrd Skynyrd to The Outlaws, from The Stray Cats to Bruce Springsteen. The two also began to write together. Soon, Gregg met David Haddox, a legendary drummer who had been the teacher to a 15 year old red-headed wonder named Paul T. Riddle, who would go on to fame and fortune with The Marshall Tucker Band. David was also touring drummer with "The Killer," Jerry Lee Lewis. Pulling Michael's old friend Joey Parrish into the mix, the band became The Buffalo Hut Coalition.

The BHC played everywhere, from clubs to festivals and private parties, and went through a series of bass players, while Smith, Yeary and Haddox held together. In years to come, there would be several other bands in Michael B's future, including Frontline, a regrouping of The Buffalo Hut, and Michael B. & The Stingers. Smith also performed as half of a duet and appeared solo in the singer-songwriter mode.

After dual surgeries and an extended hospital stay to battle a life-threatening bacterial infection during the summer of '98, and into '99, Smith announced in April that he was again healthy enough to return to the stage. Currently, he is appearing solo as well as joining local favorites True Blues onstage. Michael's new CD "Midwest Carolina Blues" was released in January, 2001 on The Rockabilly Hall of Fame 2000 blues label.

Recorded in Lincloln, Nebraska at Jam Palace Studios, with lead vocal tracks added at Studio Five/Subtle Chaos Records in Ashborro, NC, the CD features members of both The Rockabilly Hall of Fame and The Nebraska Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Players include Toni Baustian, Bob Timmers, Sean Benjamin, Dave Robel, Jim Jenkins, Mike "Pinky" Semrad, and Jim "Little Jimmy Valentine" Cidlik. The album is dedicated to the memory of our dear friend Bobby Lowell, one of the first true rockabilly artists out of Lincoln. (Read more on Bobby at www.rockabillyhall.com). The whole album project was conceived to pay tribute to Lowell.

Besides his career as a guitarist, singer and songwriter, Smith balances a dual-career as a freelance writer for magazines such as Goldmine, MOJO, Hittin' the Note, Relix and online at AMG (The All-Music Guide), and GRITZ.NET, a Southern Music & Culture webzine of which he is the editor. (http://www.gritz.net)

He also has a book published through MTE, Inc. of Beverly Hills, California. "Carolina Dreams: The Musical Legacy of Upstate South Carolina" tells the stories of the vast talents who have called South Carolina Home, from The Marshall Tucker Band, Joe Bennett & The Sparkletones, Hank Garland, Aaron Tippin and many others. The foreword was penned by Charlie Daniels. Smith is also working on a couple of other Southern Rock biographies.

Smith has appeared on stage with Jerry LaCroix (Edgar Winter's White Trash/Rare Earth); George McCorkle (Marshall Tucker Band); Paul Riddle (Marshall Tucker Band); Dave Hlubeck (Molly Hatchet); Jakson Spires (Blackfoot); Jay Johnson (Rossington Band); Charles Hart (Radio Tokyo); Artimus Pyle (Lynyrd Skynyrd); Tim Neely (Humble Pie); Stuart Swanlund, Ace Allen (Marshall Tucker Band); Rick Moore & Mr. Lucky; Stephen Nichols (Days of Our Lives/Patch); The Southern Rock Allstars, and others. He has opened for Molly Hatchet, Brian Howe of Bad Company, The Marshall Tucker Band, The Southern Rock Allstars, New Legacy Duo and others.