Juzzie Smith's Bio

Juzzie Smiths music steps into blues, folk, and country and then off into a world of its own. Embracing the slide guitar, yidaki (didgeridoo), foot percussion, along side his harmonica and vocal performance, Juzzie displays a musical dexterity that will blow you away.

After fives years performing as a solo artist Juzzie has recently released his third album, Happy Daze, which is his most acomplished work to date. Over the last 18 months Juzzie has performed at some of the most prestigious festivals in Australia, including the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival, Woodford Folk Festival, the Gympie Muster, Bridgetown Blues festival, Broadbeach Blues Festival and Tamworth Country Music Festival. At every performance he has received rave reviews for his unique songwriting and energetic live performace. Juzzie has been touted by festival organisers and audineces as one of Australia's greatest emerrging talents in the Blues and Roots scene.

“I caught Juzzie at Woodford, and was mightily impressed. He is a fine Bluesman, a real discovery”
Peter Noble: Festival Director - East Coast Blues and Roots Festival

Juzzie Smith started playing the harmonica at the age of thirteen, and by the age of 23 had won the coveted Golden Harmonica at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, and the Byron Bay Blues Blowout twice. He has in the course of his musical journey embraced and mastered a range of instruments, and absorbed influence from some diverse musical styles. Juzzie has played in a lot of bands, some fantastic and some forgettable, and performed with some of Australias best musicians, including John Butler, Damon Davies, Jodi Martin and Jeff Lang

Today Juzzie stands as his own man, performing all original songs and with a completely original sounds. Juzzie’s journey as a solo performer began about five years ago, but really began to take shape in early 2003, after the birth of his oldest child Olive.

Tired of late nights gigging in smoky pubs, Juzzie quit the band he was playing with at the time, and began to busk at the local markets around his home on the North Coast of NSW. It was around this time that he finished recording his second solo album, Goodvibes, decided to buy an old school bus, packed up his little family and took off on a busking tour of Australia.
They soon dropping the ‘s’ and ‘h’ from the school bus and made it the ‘cool bus’ and began a great journey into music. Juzzie travelled North through Darwin and then down through WA.

He started off playing to crowds of fifty or so and collecting enough coin to pay for fuel, whilst continually refining his songs, his instruments and his performance. By the time they arrived on the streets of Perth Juzzie was pulling crowds of hundreds of people at a time, busking was starting to look like a viable career option.
Since arriving back on the North Coast Juzzie has continued to grow, relaxing and enjoying life, focussing on playing at heaps of festivals and still busking when there is time.
Now a father of two children, just released his third album and having his music picked up by JJJ and many other radio stations, life has never been busier.

Juzzie’s music is influenced from his many journies and samples from many genres and cultures, a drop of Tamworth, a sprig of Delhi, a dash of Arhnem Land, with a hefty splash of New Orleans. The common thread in Juzzie Smith’s music is what he describes as Good Vibes. It is upbeat, groovy music, that will get your toes tapping and make you feel good.
Soul food for the modern world, served to you by Juzzie Smith.

Juzzie's Credits so far:

Solo shows;

• Yagubi World Music festival 2007 (booked)
• Broadbeach Blues festival 2007 (booked)
• Apollo Bay Music Festival 2007 (booked)
• East Coast Blues and Roots Festival 2007 (booked)
• Peats Ridge Festival
• Happy Daze played on JJJ
• Bridgetown Blues Festival November 2006
• Gympie Muster August 2006
• East Coast Blues and Roots Festival Easter 2006
• Blues on Broadbeach  - May 2006
• Tamworth Country Music festival – winner of busking championships 2006, 2007
• 2005/6 Woodford Folk Festitval.

With other bands and artists;

• East Coast Blues Festival - Byron Bay 1996/98, 'Splendor in the Grass Festival', and 'Big Day Out' with Couch Funk, Woodford Folk Festival 2001, 2002 with Shaded Faces, JigZag, Counterfeit Gypsies, and Jodi Martin, National Folk Festival - Canberra 1997, Frankston Guitar Festival - 1997, Goulburn Blues Festival - 1997, Lismore Folk Festival - 1997 East Coast tour with Damon Davies – 1998, National Tour playing with Pete Hawkes - 1997, played with other Notable artists/bands including: Peter Geiling, Blind Freddy, Streamliners, Jeff Lang, Pete Burgess (from the Backsliders), Andrew Clermont, Kristina Olsen, Amphibian and many more,
• Performing with Airborne Blues Virus playing Harmonica/vocals - 2002 /03, Harmonica/vocalist for the Funky/Blues group JUKE - 1998, Stand-up comedian- 2000, Performed with Couch Funk playing Harmonica/guitar/vocals/sitar and Didgeridoo - 2001, Teaching all ages harmonica and guitar - 1994, Teach harmonica groups through ACE (Adult Community Education) - 2000/01/02/03

Awards

• Australian National Harmonica Championships at Tamworth Country Music festival - Awarded a Golden Harmonica- as best Diatonic Harmonica Player- 1997, 2001, Tamworth Country Music Festival – winner of busking championships 2006,2007, winner of the Annual blues blow out championships in Byron bay - 2001 and 2002.

Media

• Played and interviewed on ABC National Radio (Australian National Broadcasting Commission), JJJ, and local ABC.

• Winner on the T.V program 'Hey Hey it's Saturday's Red Faces' - 1998, Interviewed on the subsequent T.V program 'Gonged But Not Forgotten' - 1998, Good Vibes CD played on Triple J Radio as Xavier Rudd gives it credit - 2004, Good Morning Australia program (The National Morning Program) - 1997