Grant Maloy Smith Releases ‘Dust Bowl – American Stories’

(NASHVILLE, Tenn. Press Release) - The new album “Dust Bowl – American Stories” (Suburban Cowboy Records) by Grant Maloy Smith was not meant to be political, but the singer/songwriter thinks there are lessons to be learned from its subject.
 
The 13-track album was inspired by the Dust Bowl, the series of massive dust storms that blew across America’s Southern Plains during the 1930s, destroying crops, killing livestock, and sickening untold numbers of people. A result of years of drought exacerbated by poor land management and over-farming, the Dust Bowl is widely regarded as the worst man-made ecological disaster of the early 20th century.
 
“My main goal in writing the album was to capture the hardy nature of those people who endured so much, set against the backdrop of this real-life drama,” Smith said. “These storms happened over and over, for years. People were sickened from breathing in pounds of dirt each year. Pneumonia and other respiratory ailments were common. ‘Dust Bowl – American Stories’ is a cautionary tale, but it’s also about the triumph of the human spirit in the face of great adversity.”
 
More than a recitation of historical facts, Smith’s songs bring the Dust Bowl to life, by telling personal stories of how the disaster affected individuals, many of whom were forced to flee their homes when dirt covered everything.
 
With a slow, haunting opening, the song “Old Black Roller” paints a frightening picture of an approaching storm, eventually building to a heart-pounding crescendo and setting an ominous tone for what is to come. (“Old Black Roller, why’d you come today? Half of Oklahoma is blowing dead away.”)
https://youtu.be/bXMUyONMeJk

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​“Lily of the Valley” is a sad, beautiful ballad about a young boy who loses his girlfriend, when her grandfather suddenly moves her back to Tennessee. “Isht a Lhampko” (Choctaw for “Have Strength”) is a defiant song, inspired by the courage of Native Americans who stood fast against the storms, having already endured the Trail of Tears and other inhumane treatment. While writing the song, Smith consulted with the Choctaw Cultural Center in Oklahoma, to ensure accuracy.
 
“Dust Bowl – American Stories” is not completely dark. “Never Seen the Rain” is a toe-tapper, about a farmer who lost everything to the dust storms, but nevertheless believes things will get better. Another upbeat song, “I Come From America,” celebrates the diversity and resilience of migrants fleeing Texas for California.
https://youtu.be/n0dPA-xzMF0
 
“There was an exodus of approximately two million Americans from the region during this crisis,” Smith said. “No single place in the country could or would accept so many people in such a short time. We’re having a national discussion about immigration still, 80 years later, with lots of passion on all sides of the argument.”
 
The musicianship on “Dust Bowl – American Stories” is first-rate. Smith adeptly handles guitar, bass, percussion, mandolin and other instruments on various tracks, and is joined by other outstanding players: Bill Wittman, Cathy Clasper, George Correia, Gareth Laffely, Jeff Taylor, Ken Thomas, Lorenza Ponce, Mike Johnson, Peter Janson, Rob Ickes, Rocio Marron, Scott Vestal, Steve Stokes, Skoota Warner, Tim Lorsch, Tommy Mandel, Troy Klontz and Wouter Kellerman. Background vocals are provided by Katie Perkins, Dorie Pride and Jessica Zeltzer.
 
Smith shares producing credit with Jeff Silverman of Palette Music Studio Productions in Mount Juliette, Tennessee, who has previously worked with Rick Springfield, The Allman Brothers, Boyz II Men, George Clinton, Paula Abdul and other prominent artists.
 
“Dust Bowl – American Stories” is available on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby and elsewhere. For more information, visit  www.Grant-Maloy-Smith.com.