John jubu smith guitar biography books list

Jubu Smith has made a career out of applying his considerable talents to the creative pursuits of other artists. Smith is well-known and revered in the music community. But to the wider public, mention of his name often draws a blank stare. That could—possibly—change with the release of an album called Jubu. Created in collaboration with two other esteemed musicians, Jubu is an instrumental tour de force.

Certainly he has given interviews over the years, willingly discussing his role in the careers of Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly, Tony! But when it came time to promote Jubu —released worldwide July 30—the artist had gone to ground. Fortunately, Jubu Smith has spoken on the record a few times, and close associates on his latest project—guitarist Charlie Hunter, label head Jim Pugh—were more than happy to speak about their work with the man.

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As he grew toward young adulthood, he played weekend gospel gigs, all the while dreaming of making music a full-time endeavor. Often playing in groups without a keyboardist, Smith developed a style all his own that lessened or even eliminated the need for other melodic instruments. During that podcast interview, Smith revealed that upon graduation from high school in , he had been accepted at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston—with a full ride, even—but he turned it down.

Instead, he stayed busy as a working musician.

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Raphael Siddiq soon hired him as guitarist for his group, Tony! When Siddiq left Tony! During that time, Houston also encouraged Smith to pursue his own path. But before he had a chance to do that, Frankie Beverly called and invited him to play with Maze.