Today we’d like to introduce you to Tex Smith.
Hi Tex, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been a singer-songwriter, producer and recording artist for 30 years. I began writing my first “serious” songs in my early college years while attending University of North Texas in Denton. Music has always had a deep impact on me, I remember being mesmerized by my friends Monkees records in elementary school & just wanting to play them over and over. In high school I really began exploring music. I roughly starting with 60s era artists (Beatles, Kinks, Hendrix) and for some reason started going backwards wanting to know who they were listening to, & how they became who they were eventually discovering Elvis, Johnny Cash & Buddy Holly. I was a sponge. I acquired my first guitar around this time and shortly after began working at a record store while attending the university. I would write songs/poems in a spiral notebook for myself for a while until one day my roommate at the time let me use his 4-track recorder. I recorded a couple of songs I had written and played them for my roommates. This was the first time I had ever “played ” my music for anyone. They were really excited, I felt like it went well, but I never got any further with sharing my music. I purchased my own 4-track and wrote and recorded many songs over the years after that, never really sharing them with anyone, just feeling they weren’t any good. I continued to fuel my musical passion elsewhere. After graduating from college I got a spot as a local radio DJ in Dallas on KNON 89.3FM hosting the “Rockabilly Revue” and subbing in on the Country program from time to time, it was a ton of fun and I got to meet some neat people and learn about a different side of the music industry.
Fast forward to 2006 when I moved with my first wife to Austin to be closer to my family and the Hill Country. With no record store job, no radio show (no musical outlet for myself) & not knowing a soul in town, I decided to test the waters. For a couple of months I would just go to songwriter open mics around town; seeing what the “competition” was like while trying to see if I could build up the courage to do it. A lot of that was done at the world famous Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, where then Kent Finlay hosted a weekly songwriter night renowned for being the launch pad of many singer/songwriters, but more importantly he had created an environment where songwriters were treated as equals while they were on stage singing. He would start of the night by saying “this may be someones first time singing a song they wrote, or they may have had a hit song on the radio, but were all going to sit and listen as equals…” I really liked and appreciated this simple rule…I knew this was the place that I would eventually present my songs to an audience for the first time.
One night, while sitting in the back of the bar still just observing and trying to build up courage, Kent’s daughter approached and said “I’ve noticed you in here a few times” and informed me that there was a slot on the list that opened up, and asked “Do you want to sing one?” That was the beginning. I started going every week, writing more, crafting, and then after a few months catching the ears of a local musician friend got the offer to record my debut album in Austin at Superpop! Studios with his local band The Archibalds backing me up. I was blown away, they were a favorite band of mine in Austin, I couldnt believe it. Just as we were finishing up the record in 2009, life happened, my wife of almost nine years unexpectedly died of suicide. I was thrust into an unknown world of grief, depression and being lost. With music as a major healing element, I wrote and played constantly. I would show up each week to perform my new songs at the songwriter nights never really telling anyone what I was going through, except of course through my music. I wrote and recorded two albums through that three year period (“To A Bird Singing Woe”, 2010 and “A Wayfareres Lament” 2012) and simultaneously began playing around town with a band.
Eventually the fog lifted, light came in, and new leaves began to grow. Around that time I reunited with an old college friend and songwriting musician Maybelle Crawford (of Gladys & Maybelle) at a show I played in Dallas. We started talking, things were going well and over time we began dating, and eventually married. Of course that courtship was riddled with songs and poetry about love and hope, eventually leading to the recording of my fourth album “Pink & Black”, 2015. Since that time I’ve written and recorded two more records (six total). Whether it’s from my circumstances or something else, I’ve realized that I tend to write about life. The struggles, the paths, the hope, and ultimately the silver lining. Austin has been a great place to be inspired. The amount of talent in this town is ridiculous. Even as just a small fish in the pond, I’ve met and worked with so many great and talented people & received so much love.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The music business is full of obstacles, in fact it’s an obstacle course! Aside from getting the courage as an artist to just put yourself out there and do it, in reality probably the biggest of the obstacles is “revenue”. Every artist that I know would like to make a living doing what they love. The reality is that when you’re starting out, there is very little money if any (for gas, gear, to record, print, promote, release, etc.), so many of us have day jobs or some form of income to make ends meet. This is where the dream of a record contract inspires so many. Until you get some support, as an independent artist EVERYTHING is up to you. Booking, recording, promoting, social media, etc. it all falls on your plate. It’s in these areas where you meet hundreds of obstacles and challenges… and let’s not forget about when life happens. At 48 with a wife and family, I still have a day job to support my music career. There are times where you ask yourself what’s the point of running this musical obstacle course? This is where after a while people encounter the next major obstacle “burn out”, and wanting to give up. You can only keep the pace up for so long. But don’t give up! I always say this is where the “artist” comes in. Keep doing what you do and painting your pictures as best as you can with the resources you have, and most importantly don’t forget to hang them up for yourself and others to enjoy! Remember it’s about making art.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an Americana Roots singer-songwriter, producer & recording artist. I’m currently producing a great new Americana album from local Austin artist Peter Stafford called “Plenty Tough” to be released later in 2021. I also play & record with local unknown supergroup Willy Vanilla. I am proud of my 6 albums to date, the most recent “Kinfolk” & “Fair-Weather Friends” were released in August of 2019 I feel is my best work to date. I wish I knew what set me apart from the others! I just try to go where the music leads and write honest songs about life.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
First. Don’t get caught up in the rat race of it all, be yourself and just let it flow. Social media these days is all about likes, tweets, views, etc. This stuff can be such a distraction from just being you, which is what makes your art unique and great. Find out where your fans are and just keep going there. Second. If you’re fortunate to see some financial success or notoriety from your music remember, it’s a business. Study the business, learn to talk business and be professional. Most of the great success stories out there today have a really great head on their shoulders and understand how the business works and have figured out how their style fits in and how to work it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.texsmith.net
- Instagram: instagram.com/texsmith
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TexSmithMusic/
- Twitter: twitter.com/tex_smith
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/tex-smith
- Other: https://texsmith.bandcamp.com/
Image Credits
Jon Chamberlain, Julia Rose, Michael Pyeatt, Steven Collins, Allison Reid Wallace, Whippoorwill Records
