Today we’d like to introduce you to TJ Smith.
TJ , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started in music at age 13 with a Christmas gift guitar from my parents. I just wanted to be the next Beatles! I thought that wasn’t too lofty a goal. I mean, come on, it couldn’t be THAT hard right? LOL. I began writing horrible little songs about life as I knew it, and about love as I had no idea what that was about. But those first 100 songs I wrote were really about learning the craft of songwriting. I performed anywhere I could: weddings, schools, street corners, restaurants, even funerals. Eventually I moved on to joining and creating my own bands and playing bars during my 20’s in San Antonio and Dallas/Fort Worth. In 1986, I led worship at a Cowboy Church inside Billy Bob’s Texas bull riding arena on Sunday Mornings. That’s when I saw the lack of music available to the western/cowboy world. It was either Reba McIntire or Sandy Patti. There was no Christian music for the cowboy. So, I pulled all my musical influences together and started writing and recording music that blended the styles of George Strait, Haggard, Waylon, Dwight Yoakum, any artists I had been influenced by from Texas Swing to Honky Tonk, and mixed it with Christian lyrics. I didn’t even know if anyone else was doing this. I found out later this genre was just getting started and I was certainly the only one doing it at this level of authenticity. It seemed the others were closer to Southern Gospel. But it didn’t take long for others to jump on board. This was around 1989. I recorded two albums and started getting airplay on over 125 radio stations, actually got royalty checks in the mail, won some awards here in Texas, nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year in Nashville in ’93, had nine top 40 hits, three of those being in the Top 10. I eventually signed a publishing deal with Word Records, a recording contract with Home Sweet Home Records and continued to tour until ’97. After that 10-year run of hitting it every weekend while working a full-time job for feed my growing family, I could see the market wasn’t growing and I was burnt out. So, I stopped and focused on another project with my friend, We Arnold. That was Stone Bruise, an Alt Rock band which performed songs with worship lyrics. Imagine Aerosmith, Nirvana, Jellyfish, Cheap Trick, Tonic, and the Smashing Pumpkins singing songs to God. It was a radical departure from what the Church music scene had been doing. This was in ’97 and no band was doing this. There were artists singing alt Christian rock, but it wasn’t worship music aimed at the young generation.
We are still writing and recording Stone Bruise music. In fact, we are releasing another album next month. All recorded at my studio in Llano.
On the book writing side of my life, I started in 2013 with a book explaining the parables of Jesus and what they mean to us and how we should interpret them.in light of context. I then moved on to another and another, ending up with nine books total. The last one being “The Last Semite” which has been the biggest seller. I was recently interviewed on Info Wars and the Mike Adams show. You can find/buy my books at www.tjsmithministries.org. Six of the books are a series of how to understand the Bible. All are available as e-books or print.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t know of anyone who has had a smooth road, as we all experience trouble and hardships. For me, it was the constant rejection from record companies and song publishers. Trying to find the next gig. Loading and unloading. Low pay. Performing in freezing weather or scorching heat. Getting in late and going to work the next day. Push, push, push. Though it never paid off as I hoped, it was a unique and interesting journey that gave me a lot of memories. I had a band in Fort Worth and had my brother on drums. That was fun. Sometimes my parents would show up to a bar in which we were performing, and dance together. We got some pictures of that, and it was sweet watching my folks.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I would think my total life indulgence in music and writing have been unique for me. Not many people know how to put their thought into words, so I think, as an author, to do it nine times with a theme running through them, takes a vision and perseverance to muddle through it to the other side. What I liked about writing books was it felt the same as when I go into the studio to record an album. Each chapter is a “song”, that could stand alone or could be tied to a concept album like The Beatles’ SGT. Peppers.
Plus, when you hold that new book it feels just like holding that new CD-or VInyl-or cassette- or 8 track…..ok, never mind. But you can’t hold a wav file, so work with me here. lol I am most proud of the work I do with my wife Maria. She too is a gifted, well-crafted songwriter, composer, arranger and vocalist. I constantly drag her into the studio to either play keys, acoustic guitar, sing background vocals or even engineer while I perform. It’s been a real gift having her in my life.
I also performed for six years at the Rockbox, in Fredericksburg, Texas. We performed 220 shows a year and my job was vocal and singing impersonations, comedy, playing lead guitar and singing everything from The Eagles to Johnny Cash. Being a vocal impersonator gave me a unique skillset to sound like everyone from George Bush to Willie and Waylon, Ray Charles, SRV, Santana, Johnny Cash, Ozzy and about 100 others. It was a fun experience and getting to make a living at it made it that much sweeter. I was able to focus full-time on my talents and pursue as much excellence I was capable of pulling out.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I like the creativity and artistry of Austin. I think the music scene has been horribly damaged by artists who will go perform for a couple of beers just to get exposure, which has ruined it for all the others who are trying to build a career. Once a venue/bar knows someone will perform for beer or $25, they think that is all it’s worth. So, Austin has one of the worst music scenes on the planet. It’s as bad as Nashville or LA. I hate SXSW. Sorry, but it’s so commercialized that they sucked all the inspiration and honesty out of it. I can’t go. Back in the 90’s it was kind of sincere with bands who could actually have a shot at being seen by A and R Reps, but not now. It’s the worst exploitation I’ve seen at festivals.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tjsmithministries.org
