Crossing the depth and substance of contemporary songwriting with the guitar styles of country blues, Chris Smither, who began playing music while growing up in New Orleans, says "I loved the blues, ever since I first heard Lightnin' Hopkins. I couldn't believe the sound he got. My style came out of trying to imitate what I heard." In the 1970s he headed to Boston where he joined up with Bonnie Raitt (who recorded Chris' "Love You Like a Man"), Eric von Schmidt, and others, and developed his unique approach blues-infused approach to songwriting. Stereo Review magazine put it this way, "Chris Smither recasts the real folk blues in the ethereal language of the poet, projecting a kind of streetwise mysticism. His acoustic fingerpicking is a joy, as is his grainy, live-in voice. And while his original songs are wondrous, his covers are revelatory too. Recording and touring extensively since the mid '70s, Chris' newly released live concert album, Live As I'll Ever Be (HighTone), captures his rootsy style and dexterous command of language as well as of his instrument.