Richard Smith

Smith was born in Beckenham,  England. He picked up the guitar when he was five years old after  watching his father playing an Atkins and Travis version of "Down South  Blues". He begged his father, a longtime Atkins admirer, to introduce  him to the fingerpicking style. Smith soon became a child prodigy on the  guitar. As a kid he could play the entire discographies of Django Reinhardt and Chet Atkins. At the age of 11 he shared the stage with his idol when Atkins invited Smith to play with him at Her Majesty's Theatre in London.[1][2] He was also influenced by guitarist Big Jim Sullivan and briefly studied jazz guitar with Shane Hill at Warlingham School, Surrey.[citation needed]

He formed the Richard Smith Guitar Trio with his brothers Rob and  Sam before marrying American cellist Julie Adams and moving to  Nashville, Tennessee in 1999.[3] He founded the Hot Club of Nashville, a jam band with a varying lineup that included John Jorgenson, Pat Bergeson, Bryan Sutton, and Stuart Duncan, combining gypsy jazz and western swing. Smith performs as a solo act and a duo with his wife. His repertoire includes country, bluegrass, blues, ragtime, folk, jazz, pop, and classical music.[4]

A 2018 video of Smith performing Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" went viral on YouTube, amassing over 12 million views as of April, 2022.