Grant Maloy Smith

Grant Maloy Smith is a Billboard Top 10 American Roots songwriter and performer, whose songs have also charted on the Music Row Country Breakout charts. His 2017 album DUST BOWL - AMERICAN STORIES spent 17 weeks on the Billboard charts, spending 11 weeks in the top 10 of the Americana/Folk album sales chart, and reaching #12 on the Country album sales chart, and selling nearly 30,000 copies.

“…  lyrics and music as potent as Woody Guthrie ... A reminder of the  darker period of Bob Dylan, and it’s that good, that memorable…”. ~ No Depression Magazine, the Bible of American Roots Music

His 2021 follow-up album, APPALACHIA: AMERICAN STORIES, continues Grant's dedication to telling the stories of real Americans in song.

“If you took a few ounces of Willie Nelson and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, mixed them carefully Grant Maloy Smith would appear.”

~ John Apice, Americana Highways

“One day we’ll be talking about how Grant Maloy Smith is a national treasure – like John Prine. I’d be the first to say it’s so.”

~ John Apice, Americana Highways

“Appalachia: American Stories comes across with such absolute authenticity. …the arrangements shine with such craft and consistency…”

~Lee Zimmerman, Bluegrass Today

“Grant Maloy Smith’s countrified tenor makes the album whole as he relates his stories with poignant effectiveness and comforting warmth.”

~ Joe Ross, Roots Music Report

“Grant Maloy Smith’s countrified tenor makes the album whole as he relates his stories with poignant effectiveness and comforting warmth. Appalachia: American Stories has what we’ve come to expect from Smith…”

~ Joe Ross, Roots Music Report

“Smith has a penetrating, searing tenor voice that brings his lyrics of everyday Americans vividly to life…(in) this piercing, country-folk ode to coal miners.”

~ Robert K Oermann, MusicRow magazine

“Grant Maloy Smith has delivered a musical tapestry with his new album, APPALACHIA: AMERICAN STORIES. His strong, heartfelt vocals and guitar work speak of a different time when music rang freely from through the mountains and from old porches! Smith is keeping this tradition alive for future generations.”

~ Eric Dahl, Host of Fox 17 Rock and Review, Nashville, and writer for Maverick Magazine. 

"In a time when Appalachia is still commonly presented in a negative light, Grant Maloy Smith’s album APPALACHIA: AMERICAN STORIES is a welcome and very well-performed recompense."

~ Dale Farmer, writer-director of the award-winning motion picture THE MOUNTAIN MINOR

“One of the year’s most ambitious productions…Smith’s captivating tenor is joined by the soul harmonies of Kim Fleming and Kim Mount, plus a recitation by the Rev. Janice Brown…”

~ Robert K Oermann, MusicRow magazine

“…the tales Smith tells are … a snapshot of the things that (Appalachia) has been through … his husky and raw vocals, authentic in their delivery, add to the weight and emotion…”

“~ Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine

“…in this digital age, packaging and artwork has been an afterthought for most, but…Smith takes it one step further as a forty page booklet takes you through the stories behind each song.”

“~ Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine

“Appalachia American stories is a masterpiece that will imbue your soul with the character and feel of Appalachia. Grant Maloy Smith has the artistic gift of creating lyrics that speak for a nation coupled with a voice that compels you to listen and understand.”

~ Kurt M. DiClementi, Author

Grant made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2018 and has won numerous awards, including two Grammy® certificates, and many others. In 2020 he was  inducted into the Indie Music Hall of Fame in Hollywood.

His charming Christmas song "Fly Possum Fly"(featuring county singing sensation and American Idol contestant EmiSunshine) was both a bluegrass radio single featured on Steve Martin's Unreal Bluegrass radio show and The Tim White Bluegrass Show, and a popular Children’s book. Grant added book festivals and book signings to his itinerary, which continues now as a second book in the series, published by Headline Books. 

His song “Man Of Steel” has been selected by the National Veterans Foundation (www.nvf.org) as their official theme song, and the video is featured on their website.

His single “I See You” was released with the support of Masterpiece Living, an organization dedicated to creating better lives for our elders. His song, “I Reckon,” was recorded by country star Jeff Clayborn, and has spent weeks on the MusicRow CountryBreakout chart in late 2019 and reached the top 10 in Europe in 2020. Grant released a powerful single in 2020, "Waiting For The Good Old Days Again," about the COVID lock-downs, reflecting the isolation that everyone was feeling.

Grant is a member of the CMA (Country Music Association), AMA (Americana Music Assocation), NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International), and is the co-founder of The Indie Collaborative, a group of more than 2000 independent musicians and music industry professionals. 

Grant's music is distributed by Sony Orchard, and Dolby Atmos mixes of his songs, such as his 2021 single "The Coal Comes Up," are distributed by AVID PLAY to Amazon HD and TIDAL HI FI.

He will be appearing at Lincoln  Center in 2021 and will return to Carnegie Hall in 2022. Whether he’s playing with a full band or performing solo, audiences are enthralled by his meaningful songs and his sense of humor. Grant is also an actor, appearing in the feature film OILDALE, filmed in Bakersfield, California.

With business partner Eileen Sherman, Grant is the co-founder of The Indie Collaborative.