Henry Smith

At the age of five, this British country and western singer/songwriter took up drums inside his father's band. Displaying commercial awareness that outstripped even drummer Jimmy Carl Black of "when do we get paid?" fame, toddler Henry Smith reportedly demanded his fee from his father before the performance had finished. That same direct focus on business accompanied his entry into solo recording, expressed in the 2005 debut album addressed to those best positioned to advance his career, Hello DJ.

Now handling guitar and piano in addition to vocals, Smith leads his own ensemble, Country Dreams. He followed the first album with a live recording that at least symbolically attests to his success in getting audiences moving. Along with generous selections of line-dance material, Smith is known for partnering with listeners on the dance floor while wearing his dependable "head mike," much like Garth Brooks in a pub with fish and chips on his breath. His own songwriting has so far been confined to one track per release, among them the title song on Hello DJ and the unselfish "Your Love." His sets draw on hardcore country by writers such as Merle Haggard and on current hits that affirm the drinkers' view that "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere."