February 14, 2025 — For his first release after signing with Mountain Home Music Company, multi-instrumentalist Jesse 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.
“My friend, the legendary banjo player of Lost & Found legacy, Gene Parker,inspired my version of ‘Sleepy Eyed John,’” notes Smathers, who’s held a day job with iconic bluegrass quintet (and labelmates), the Lonesome River Band, for the past decade. “Originally written by Kentucky fiddler Tex Atchison and made a hit by country singer Johnny Horton, I wanted to give this fun, bouncy number a suitable mountainous stringband flavor. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did picking and singing it!”
That “mountainous stringband flavor” is more than a throwaway characterization, for Smathers, who comes from a long line of North Carolina folk musicians, splits the musical atom here with an arrangement that floats a 3-fingered style of banjo playing with pre-bluegrass roots and plenty of fiddle, supplied by Corbin Hayslett and Hunter Berry respectively, over a grassier rhythm section that includes Smatherson guitar, Nick Goad on mandolin and Joe Hannabach on bass. The relaxed yet insistent lope produced by the juxtaposition combines the dynamic precision of bluegrass with the looser feel of an old-time string band—a kind of musical double vision that’s enhanced by chorus vocals from a quartet that includes Goad, long-time pal Patrick Robertson and the rumbling bass vocal of acclaimed bluegrass veteran Dale Perry.
Now ensconced in southwest Virginia, where he supplements his work with the Lonesome River Band and his solo efforts with teaching, mentoring and local performances, Jesse Smathers is at once a dedicated professional focused on the future and an authentic conservator of musical traditions that extend back to earlier times — and with “Sleepy Eyed John,” he serves up a delicious slice of rural-themed music that, like the artist who’s made it, looks both forward and back.
Listen to “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.