Awards & Testimonials
Awards
New England Songwriting Competition, First Place and Honorable Mention, Children’s category, 2022; Judges Choice winner, 2024
Maine Songwriters Association Song Contest finalist, 2021
Northeast Regional Folk Alliance, Folk-DJ Emerging Artist Showcase, 2021
Great American Song Contest, Finalist in 2020, 2018, and double Top Ten Finalist in 2012
Rose Garden Coffeehouse Performing Songwriter Finalist 2015
American Songwriter Magazine Honorable Mention June/July 2014
Pennsylvania Heritage Songwriter Contest First Place 2012
What Others Have Written About Tom Smith
“Contrary to what a lot of people think, folk music is still a living tradition. It’s a living tradition that feeds on new songs that speak of people’s wants, people’s needs, people’s struggles and people’s triumphs. Tom Smith is more out of the tradition of say Pete Seeger and Tom Paxton than Jackson Browne or Connor Oberst. He’s a man who writes songs that seem like they’ve always been there. There are very few songwriters working today that I would call folksingers, but I would call Tom Smith a true folksinger.”
– Dave Palmater, WUMB-FM Boston
“Beautiful songs” – David Mallett, Internationally acclaimed performing songwriter
“Tom Smith is a special kind of talent: a thoughtful and eloquent songwriter in the tradition of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. His lyrics are political and yet go straight to the heart. When he performs, he’s got a special kind of quiet magic that is both moving and transfixing.” – Susan Cattaneo, Performing songwriter, Berklee College of Music songwriting faculty
“Tom Smith’s songs harken back to a familiar folksy feel like that of Pete Seeger. He entertains but his songs have punch and poignance.” – Kathy Sands-Boehmer, Harbortown Music, Everything Sundry
“Tom Smith’s latest CD Planting In A Drought is a masterwork of folk idioms, protest songs, and lyrical truths.” – Bill Copeland Music News
“Folk music is alive and well in Tom Smith.” – Jud Caswell, Award winning singer, songwriter
“Listening to Tom, you are aware of the influence of some of the great folk artists – Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Tom Paxton and so on. Yet the songs are genuinely ‘all Tom’. They come from an honest place. They will resonate with you. Their melodies will linger. You may even find yourself singing along. [….] His songs certainly do make the world a better place.” – Graham Dean, Host of “Common Sense Songs” WBCR-FM, Great Barrington, MA
“The energy, love, authenticity and conviction that Tom puts into his songs, stories, performance, and dialog/conversation with his audience – really the whole experience – is truly the closest I’ve experienced to Pete [Seeger]. There is a certain something that shines from ‘Mr. Smith’ that is super, super rare. So rare, that for me personally, I’ve only experienced watching ‘Mr. Seeger’ (and perhaps Arlo.) You leave a Tom Smith concert feeling just a little bit better about the world, and that is no small accomplishment. Of course, Pete is a hero of Tom’s. I’m pretty sure Tom would be a hero of Pete’s, too.” – Doug Kwartler, performing songwriter, producer, audio engineer. Lied To’s, Hollow Body Studios.
“He’s a flannel shirt, off to the woods, old-style folk kind of guy, and while some of his songs contain content relating to the tribulations of the present day world, all his material is presented with gentleness and good humor.” – Joanne Corsano, Live concert reviews at NicePace.net
“If you could combine the DNA of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie with that of Robert Frost and Kermit the Frog you would end up with someone very much like Tom Smith.” – a fan
“Tom is simply one of the region’s finest songwriters. His material runs from the extremely humorous to the incredibly poignant, delivered in a folk style you can’t help wanting to sing along with.” Mark Stepakoff – Singer, Songwriter, Venue Host
“… a very intimate and beautiful and inspiring performance. Tom Smith has a gift of giving voice, giving hope and giving uplift to listeners.” – Cheryl Perreault, Poet and host of Wake Up and Smell the Poetry, HCAM-TV
“Tom’s songs are laced with a healthy dollop of our most precious commodity – hope. And they arise from a warm, tender and authentic heart. His music is a balm for the soul.” – Chuck Hall, Award-winning singer, songwriter
“These are the seeds that will keep us surviving!” (referring to Tom’s album “Planting in a Drought”) – Matt Smith, Managing Director of Club Passim
“Tom Smith won over the crowd with his quiet, classic folk style.” – The Boston Globe
“Beautiful performance but it does go beyond. It makes you feel then think.” – Junko Ogawa, a fan
“Tom Smith’s music is by turns playful and poignant, and always grounded in the American folk tradition. Tom’s mastery as a singer, his instrumental skill, and his apparently effortless presentation style, are hallmarks of a man who knows and loves his music. We are fortunate to have him in our midst.” Lorraine Lee Hammond, musician, songwriter, professor of ethno-musicology
“With Tom Smith’s songs there is room for all of us to dig in and become a part of them. That is successful songwriting. One of the other things that I admire about Tom’s songwriting is that he takes on big subjects like wealth distribution and global climate change – subjects that would be very easy to write angry songs about, yet he takes them on in a gentle way that we feel emotionally connected to.”
– Dave Palmater, WUMB-FM Boston
“Tom Smith is an established folkie on the local scene with a delivery and songwriting style straight out of the Pete Seeger school. His singing is sweet and melodic, and his songwriting very diverse. His set of a dozen original songs ranged from the very humorous (“Lick My Face”) to the very serious (“Liberty and Justice for All”) to the very personal (“Phil’s Guitar”). When Tom opened for Kim and Reggie Harris here in the spring, he was so impressive that Kim and Reggie had him come up on stage to reprise one of his songs while they sang backup. After seeing a longer set of his, especially with the beautiful backup playing and singing from Seth Connelly, count me in as a Tom Smith fan.”
– Joanne Corsano, reviewing performance at the Javawocky Coffeehouse
“Tom Smith’s CD Journey Home offers emotional joy and solid craftsmanship. Smith has certainly come up with one of the strongest singer-songwriter CDs of 2011. Every word and feeling is a treasure and the song craft shows true mastery.” – Bill Copeland Music News
“[Journey Home] is a well produced and played jewel of an album.” – Brian M. Owens, Metronome Magazine
“Tom Smith is a well-traveled singer/songwriter veteran who brings a rich and deep portfolio of well-crafted songs delivered in fine, tastefully understated fashion and with a dry wit guaranteed to put a smile on any face.” – Nate Smith, Boulder Coffeehouse
“[Tom Smith] is among the most artful lyricists performing in the Northeast today. His performance style draws listeners in and keeps them there with stories wrapped in gorgeous melodies. He’s also clever and wickedly witty. And a darn good guitar player as well!” – Jon McAuliffe, performing songwriter
“[Tom Smith’s songs] are the folk tradition at it’s finest!” – Susan Levine, Performing Songwriter
“Tom is a magical entertainer.” – Michael Moran, Amazing Things Arts Center
“Tom Smith will make you laugh and cry (maybe even in the same song.) A very captivating songwriter and performer.” – Barbara Kessler, performing songwriter
“Tom Smith is among the finest there is in New England Today.” – The Nameless Coffeehouse, Cambridge, MA
“Tom is by far one of the most talented songwriters in our area. He is as genuine as he is insightful, and his music makes you feel great about looking at life around you. I assure you, his lyrics will remain with you long after the evening is done!” – Tom Irving, Rick’s Music World
“Tom is right up there with the best of the best songwriters. His songs are genuine, honest, human, connecting.” – Deb O’Hanlon and Peter Fischman, Performing songwriters
“Your music and stories are little gems, and they do two things – they convey powerful messages and they make us smile. Thank you.” – Alice Lucey, The Park School
“Tom Smith is an American Folk Original. His timeless stories are told with a voice that is as honest and sincere as they come with melodies that you will remember forever.” – Marc Bridge, Performing songwriter
“Tom Smith is a songwriter’s songwriter, a story teller through stage banter and song with a genuine sincerity and love for what he does that shines through in every lyric, every chord and every spoken word. His instrumental style and delivery are spot on and Tom always leaves the crowd better for being there.” – Tom Bianchi, Lizard Lounge
“Tom speaks his mind about today’s world through his peaceful music. This technique and style solidly places him in what we know and expect from the real folk tradition. What a breath of fresh air!”
– Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute
“If you want to hear what folk music is all about I’d highly recommend giving a closer listen to Mr. Tom Smith. His songs are about as good as they get and are deeply rooted in tradition. They make you want to gather a group of your closest friends and sit by the fire place sipping tea.”
– Dan Cloutier – Musician, venue host
“Tom Smith is a folksinger for all ages. A consummate musician, he plays guitar, mandolin, harmonica and more with ease, and he has a very pleasing voice which makes his audience feel very much at home. Whether he is presenting a traditional folk song, an original composition or a song parody, he does so with great skill, often interspersing stories as part of his presentation. He is a peaceful man who enjoys delivering his vision of how the world should be, but he also has a great sense of humor and that is reflected in subtle ways in his performances. Tom both educates and entertains. His audience leaves feeling they’ve had a wonderful experience!”
– Ellen Schmidt – Musician, venue host, patron of folk music
“.. a musician with a pure, genuine and honest sound. [Tom is] a guitarist and folk singer with the kind of subtle, knowing smile and extra-scratchy beard that makes you want to sit and have a long talk with him, maybe a beer. And, wait, he’s got a guitar? Well, he might play for you if you’ve got a minute – and that’s when it happens. You get drawn in to his effortless, joyful strumming. Tom’s a guy who plays music the way other folks meditate. He plays from the inside out, loving every moment and, as a result, you can’t help but love it too.”
– Jorge Vega, Comic Book Author, Teacher
“Tom’s coal-era songs honored 12 men lost in the Knox Mine Disaster at the 50th Anniversary Remembrance program at the Anthracite Heritage Museum. His honest voice, adorned only by the strings of his acoustic guitar, warmed the crowd on a cold January day.”
– Anthracite Heritage Museum Scranton, PA
“Tom had an amazing evening, performing songs about past and present politics on Memorial Day. Tom played songs with grace and style, delivering ‘three chords and the truth’ as it is to be judged by the listener. Yes they [..] were protest songs from his point of view, but they were crafted in a way that is tough to argue with from either side of the fence. Even a listener who does not subscribe to his point of view would be overheard saying, ‘Damn… That’s a good song.’ Only through real experience and hard work does a songwriter get to such a place. He wrapped his night up with a beautiful and bittersweet song about home sweet home… an amazing performance!” – Tom Bianchi, Lizard Lounge
“Tom Smith involves his audience in the songs and stories and loves to get people singing. With a great deal of respect for the history of his music, Tom’s performance appeals to all ages. You can be assured of an entertaining evening, as his audiences always leave feeling good.”
– Edith Doughty, N. E. Pennsylvania Folklore Society
“Tom Smith is one of the most popular performers at The Folk Guild. He has a magic quality of becoming part of his audience, so that his listeners feel completely comfortable, as if in their own living rooms. His natural humor and unassuming manner appeal to all ages, and he has a song-bag full of unusual and memorable songs, accompanied by a variety of instruments.”
– Patsy Hinkly, The Folk Guild, Massachusetts
“Tom Smith has his own secret wavelength with which he establishes instant communication with people of any age. I have never seen another performer develop relationships with young audiences so quickly and quietly. The magic is a mixture of Tom’s own peace with himself and an intuitive understanding of children coupled with long experience and masterful knowledge of child development. He is a fine musician, singer and teller of tales with a unique gift of involving people in a joyful blend of music and learning. He should be turned loose on the school children of America!”
– Bill Bonyun, Folksinger, Wiscasset, Maine, former musicologist Olde Sturbridge Village
“Your performance was smoothly flowing without becoming slick. There was a convincing air of shared pleasure, a humor that everyone identified with, and a dynamically varied sound that kept the audience alive and participating.”
– John Kleske, Cranberry Coffeehouse, Binghamton, New York
“We absolutely loved having you with us, and listening, as you shared your poignant and witty takes on life through folk music, here at Union Hall Coffeehouse on Saturday night! Thank you so much for bringing your special, and very personal storytelling-touch to our little hangout in the heart of the community. You managed to strike a chord in the hearts and minds of everyone who gathered `round to hear you, and isn’t that the whole point of music, anyway – to make your heart beat?”
– Dian Cuccinello, Union Hall Coffeehouse, Carlisle, MA
“Your songs and comments enhanced our various historical themes well. The performance was thoughtful, musically delightful, and historically accurate.”
– Anne Farnam, The Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts
“The Tom Smith magic was working!”
– Linda Plaut, Arts in the Parks, Newton, Massachusetts
“Tom Smith is an entertainer and educator of great imagination, patience, intelligence and humor. He never talks down to kids, and though he is often funny, is never ‘cute’. The adults wind up getting involved as much as the children.”
– Janet Kamien, The Children’s Museum, Boston, Massachusetts
“Enjoy your education! That is what the elementary school students of Westwood did this week. Entertained, educated, and enthused by the performance of Tom Smith, they whistled a happy tune. Playing a variety of instruments, he taught history with folk songs. Sing-a-long was interspersed with commentary pertaining to history, ecology, science, and the origins of the songs and instruments he uses.”
– Daily Transcript