Club Passim Will Celebrate Chris Smither's 80th Birthday With A Night Of Performances

Club Passim will celebrate legendary bluesman and songwriter Chris Smither's 80th birthday with musical performances from various artists on November 9. Over the course of Smithers sixty year career he has released twenty studio albums and become a staple in the folk world. Curated by musician Peter Mulvey, the celebration will include close friends of Smither, long-time musical collaborators, and a show full of New England artists like Mark Erelli, Matt Lorenz, Pamela Means, and more. Tickets go on sale Thursday, September 12th at passim.org. 

“I'm thrilled to help honor Chris Smither in this night's celebration at Club Passim,” said Mulvey. “Chris has been a long-time mentor of mine and we are bringing it back to the city where we met and started our friendship over thirty years ago. Cambridge, and specifically Club Passim, has a special place in our hearts and in our friendship. I'm very grateful these talented musicians can come to one place to celebrate Chris and all of his accomplishments.” 

Smither found his people and his audience when he moved to Boston in the mid 60s at the recommendation of folk singer Eric Von Schmidt. There, he made a network of friends and up and comers, including Bonnie Raitt, who helped put Smither on the map - as well as herself - by recording his songs “Love You Like A Man” and “I Feel The Same.”

By the 1990s Smither had established himself as a staple of the acoustic music world, and he's been an honored figure ever since. His recording Happier Blue was embraced by Triple A radio and received the NAIRD (now AFIM) award as Best Folk Recording of 1993. In 2007 he won a Boston Music Award for Outstanding Folk Act of the Year. Along the way, Smither's songs have been covered by the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Diana Krall, Loudon Wainwright III, Emmylou Harris, Dave Alvin, Josh Ritter and more.

His 20th release, All About the Bones, released this past May features eight brand new Smither songs and Smither renditions of Eliza Gilkyson's “Calm Before the Storm” and also Tom Petty's “Time to Move On.” The listener is welcomed into some gothic mansion on an imaginary New Orleans street, and there in the lamplit parlor confronts the band, a minimalist skeleton crew. 

“Chris Smither has been a part of the Club Passim world since the original Club 47 days in the 60s,” said  Matt Smith, Managing Director of Passim. “He's inspired and supported so many artists throughout his career. Twenty years ago artists gathered at Club Passim to celebrate Chris's 60th birthday and it is a gift that we're still able to gather for the 80th and celebrate an artist who is still recording, touring and vital!”

Smither has been Peter Mulvey's mentor since 1993, when a young Mulvey opened for the already seasoned Smither. The blues and folk legend liked what he heard and enjoyed their similarities in creativity and quirks. Peter Mulvey has been a songwriter, road-dog, raconteur and almost-poet since before he can remember. He has released nineteen records, illustrated a book, performed over a thousand times, released a TEDx talk, and hosted his own boutique festival (the Lamplighter Sessions, in Boston and Wisconsin).

New England artists Vance Gilbert, The Suitcase Junket, Pamela Means, Mark Erelli, Peter Mulvey, BettySoo, Zak Trojano, and Tim Gearan and others will all perform songs from Smithers catalog. Joining the fun is David Goodrich, Smither's longtime producer. 

Chris Smither's 80th Birthday Celebration will take place on Saturday, November 9 at 7 pm. Tickets are $50 and can be found at passim.org. Passim is located at 47 Palmer Street in the basement of an historic brick delivery and carriage house. It is on the corner of Church and Palmer Streets.

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