Smithfield Fair

The trio of Dudley-Brian Smith on guitar, mandolin, and bagpipe, Jan Smith on vocals, accordion, guitar, and piano, and Bob Smith on vocals, bass, and percussion launched Smithfield Fair in 1989 once their prior band Charmer had dissolved. Beyond that central lineup, Dudley-Brian Smith’s nephew Frank Bladen supplied bodhran and percussion from the mid-’90s through 2008. Smithfield Fair draws its foundations more squarely from folk sources—specifically traditional Scottish folk music—than Charmer ever did. As an experienced bagpipe player, Smith has drawn on a repertoire of traditional Scottish songs passed down through his grandmother. Although the band has performed live regularly since its formation, it has followed a steady release schedule beginning in 1995 on the Centaur and Stevenson labels.