Eventually they married so he must have taken her out to a big fancy restaurant or won many prizes for her at the local fair, right. Not quite and true romanticists will be pleased to learn, “We got back to her mom and dad’s house (after the date) and while we were sitting on the couch she asked, ‘Do you want to pick?’ I thought this was great and we spent the next two or three hours playing the guitar (and singing). It was a dream come true.” While it is true they have lived happily ever after our story is not over yet so keep reading.
One of the keys to the Smiths enjoying a good marriage and helps them keep their careers in the proper focus is their faith in God. Amanda says, “Not everything (in life) is always perfect. There are always hard times and discouragement. It is nice to have somebody who wants to pray about it and it means a lot to be on the same page with everything. Our (faith) really comes into play for the decisions we make for the band. We share the same thoughts and beliefs. We can lean on the Lord to find our direction.”
“It is nice to have somebody who wants to pray about it and it means a lot to be on the same page with everything. The decisions that we make for the band that (faith) really comes into play. We share the same thoughts and beliefs and can lean on the Lord to find our direction,” says Amanda.
There have been many times when the couple has needed the Lord’s strength to see them through difficult days. Two weeks prior to the recording of Tell Someone Kenny’s father was involved in a fatal tractor accident. He says they felt so strongly about recording their first gospel album that they went ahead with the project. “I think at times like that you are closer to the Lord and drawing from that strength than any other time of your life. I think the songs that we chose really spoke to my heart,” he says.
As every musician or singer knows the music, industry can often lead to a frugal lifestyle. The Kenny and Amanda Smith Band have also known those lean years. “That is where faith becomes a big part of our lives and so it becomes a daily walk for Amanda and me,” says Kenny.
Amanda says, “This gospel album meant a whole lot because those songs go way back to my childhood. I have been singing gospel music ever since I was about three years old with my mom’s old record player and (later) in church with my guitar.”
Concerning their careers and their marriage Amanda says, “It is definitely a dream come true and to have the bonus of finding somebody that is a partner in life that shares the same dream and the same faith all wrapped in one seems almost too good to be true. We’re pretty fortunate.”
Music lovers attending a Kenny and Amanda Smith Band concert can expect to hear hard driving bluegrass mixed in with tunes that are more traditional and some southern gospel songs. Kenny says, “We might go to something really contemporary such as “Pacific Time”. It is stripped down to guitar, bass and Amanda’s vocals. She is singing about a west coast/east coast long distance relationship. (Next) we might go to a quick instrumental or a claw hammer banjo song that is rooted in an old time feel. Amanda’s voice fits hard driving bluegrass but it also fits ballads and slower gospel (songs).”
Just like some of the people whose music they enjoy, Ernest Tubb, Tammy Wynette and Buck Owens Kenny and Amanda Smith are carving out their own niche in the annals of bluegrass and country music.
January 2007
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