NASHVILLE, TN – Enormous dust storms blew across the Plains of America in the 1930s, blanketing everything with dirt, killing crops and livestock and sickening countless people. American Roots recording artist Grant Maloy Smith brings back the trials and tribulations of those dark days, but he has turned them into a “masterpiece” according to the music press. Three years in the making, the album “Dust Bowl – American Stories” (Suburban Cowboy Records) is kicking up quite a storm of its own, reaching the Billboard top 10 in its second week on the Americana/Folk charts.
No Depression magazine, the unofficial “bible” of roots music, raved: “…Lyrics and music as potent as Woody Guthrie … Grant has written a heartland masterpiece … a reminder of the darker period of Bob Dylan…and it’s that good, that memorable…”
Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/embed/JG97JOgIc_U
In 13 songs, Smith tells personal stories of how the Dust Bowl affected ordinary people. In “Old Black Roller,” a farmer both fears and defies the approaching storm. “Lily of the Valley” is a poignant song about young love on the prairie. In “Isht a Lhampko” (Choctaw for “Have Strength”), Native Americans stand strong against the Dust Bowl, having already survived the Trail of Tears almost exactly 100 years earlier.
The Dust Bowl forced roughly 2 million people to flee theirhomes in search of work. Smith celebrates their strength in the upbeat ballad “I Come From America,” the first single being released to radio. “These people – these Americans – were largely unwanted wherever they went. They were paid substandard wages, and rousted from camp to camp as they tried to make ends meet.
Watch: https://youtu.be/n0dPA-xzMF0
In“Dust Bowl – American Stories,” Smith brings an often-overlooked aspect of American history to life, through thought-provoking songs featuring compelling characters.
The music of Grant Maloy Smith is available on iTunes, Amazon and CDBaby. Information is available at www.Grant-Maloy-Smith.com.
LINKS:
www.grant-maloy-smith.com
www.facebook.com/GrantMaloySmithOfficial
Twitter @GrantMaloySmith
Instagram @GrantMaloySmith
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/grantmaloysmith/albums
Reviews:
Expressive Original Songs Steeped in the Dirt & Reality of the Dust Bowl-Depression Era
No Depression
http://nodepression.com/album-review/expressive-original-songs-steeped-dirt-reality-dust-bowl-depression-era
Grant Maloy Smith – Dust Bowl: American Stories
The Alternate Root
http://thealternateroot.com/rack-5/6737-gms-dustbowl
Grant Maloy Smith: Old School Cowboy
Pen’s Eye View
http://www.penseyeviewnew.com/pev/2017/06/15/grant-maloy-smith/
Grant Maloy Smith’s New Album ‘Dust Bowl – American Stories’ Celebrates the Nation’s Resilience
Broadway World
http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/Grant-Maloy-Smiths-New-Album-Dust-Bowl-American-Stories-Celebrates-the-Nations-Resilience-20170601
Achievements
Assistant Producer on the Grammy® winning album “Presidential Suite” by the Ted Nash Big Band (awarded February 12, 2017)
2017 Indie Music Channel Awards, Los Angeles
Winner: Best Male Americana Artist
Voting Member of NARAS (The Grammys®)
CMA (Country Music Association);
AMA (The Americana Music Association);
NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International);
RISA (Rhode Island Songwriters Association);
NYSC (New York Songwriters Collective);
A BMI artist
Media Contact
Company Name: Majorhitrecords
Contact Person: Media Relations
Email: contact@majorhitrecords.com
Phone: 8587170799
Country: United States
Website: www.majorhitrecords.com