January 28, 2025 — Mountain Home Music Company announced today that it has signed powerhouse singer and multi-instrumentalist Jesse Smathers to an exclusive recording contract as a solo artist. The announcement comes simultaneously with news of the Lonesome River Band guitarist/singer’s debut single for the label, “Sleepy Eyed John,” now available for pre-save/add ahead of its February 14 release.
“I am so honored to be joining the Mountain Home family amongst friends, influences and heroes,” says the North Carolina native, who now makes his home in Virginia. “Since 2015, I have recorded numerous projects with the Lonesome River Band on the Mountain Home label and have considered it ‘home.’ Some of my fondest times making music have been at the studio; so it is such a blessing to continue to record and release my own material on the label and be part of the Mountain Home Family!”
A 2017 IBMA Momentum Vocalist of the Year, Smathers is heading toward his 10th anniversary as a member of the acclaimed Lonesome River Band, with whom he has appeared on six albums, including 2024’s The Winning Hand. When not on the road with them or working on his solo efforts, Jesse offers music instruction and performs with a variety of colleagues from the rich Appalachian music traditions around his current home near Floyd, Virginia.
For his first Mountain Home release, Smathers digs deeper into the vein of his earlier singles with a neatly multi-flavored version of “Sleepy Eyed John,” an old favorite written by a Kentucky fiddler turned Hollywood western swing musician and found in the repertoire of old-time, country, swing and bluegrass musicians alike. Yet despite the song’s enduring popularity, Smathers’ version is infused with a distinctive approach that stands out for its embodiment of the young artist’s varied musical preoccupations.
“We are excited to have Jesse on board as a solo recording artist,” says Mountain Home A&R Director Jon Weisberger. “He’s part of a new generation of musicians who have grown up in and around bluegrass and old-time music, with a deep knowledge of those roots, yet with a fresh and wide-ranging outlook—and with the talent to turn it all into compelling music. I’m looking forward to hearing what he comes up with!”
Pre-save/add “Sleepy Eyed John” HERE.
About Jesse Smathers
Jesse Smathers was born and raised in Eden, North Carolina but holds his Western NC roots close. Jesse comes from a long line of musicians. His grandfather, Harold Smathers, and grand Uncle Luke Smathers, recorded for June Appal and were awarded the North Carolina Folk Heritage Award in 1993 for their contributions to North Carolina Folk Music. This influence started the trajectory of his musical journey. He began playing the guitar at age eleven and not long after took to the mandolin. He spent his teens competing at fiddlers conventions across North Carolina and Virginia, and in 2010 he began his career as a touring musician with the James King Band playing mandolin and providing the tenor harmonies. Later he rejoined the band performing guitar and vocals.
In 2014, Jesse joined Nothin’ Fancy. The same year, he was also inducted in Phi Mu Alpha, a music fraternity, as an honorary Sinfonian, joining such greats as John Phillip Sousa, Count Bassie, Duke Ellington, and Andy Griffith. In 2015, Lonesome River Band welcomed him to the group as the mandolin player and in 2017, Jesse won the IBMA Momentum Award for Vocalist of the Year. In 2021, Jesse switched over to the guitar position with the group after the departure of Brandon Rickman. In 2022 Jesse released his first self-titled solo album.
Jesse now lives in Southwest Virginia, near Floyd and teaches with the Handmade Music School, when not touring with the Lonesome River Band. He takes much joy in passing along Appalachian traditions, and cultivating community with the music he makes.