Alisha Smith - Bio

Born at Blackwater in Central Queensland, Alisha was brought up listening to country music, especially bush ballads, including artists such as Slim Dusty, Barry Thornton, Stan Coster and Brian Young.

Alisha Smith only started learning rhythm guitar a few years ago, starting out on rhythm. She was taught the bush ballad pick 'n' strum style by Keith Jamieson, then went on to teach herself the bass guitar and now lead guitar and also mandolin.

She was also fortunate to have been taught some of the finer points by the late & great Barry Thornton, the Master of the Bush Ballad Guitar in Australia.

Alisha is the only lady in Australia, as far as she knows, playing the bush ballad style of guitar as created by the Father of Bush Ballad Lead Guitar. Alisha has been doing some tours of Country Music around Australia’ with Keith, and different artists, and she has gained her own fair dinkum’ bush ballad guitar fans.

At this year's Bungendore Muster, Alisha played "The Old Rugged Cross" in memory of Bazza with Charley Boyter and Lindsay Butler, two other legends of guitar. She now has a Gibson Epiphone and is continuing to learn lead guitar the way the old master showed her. She puts her heart into all the instruments that she plays

Alisha looks forward to keeping alive the bush ballad guitar sound in memory of Bazza Thornton, and has started well by winning the Barry Thornton Encouragement Award at the 2005 Bungendore Country Music Festival, and has just won a Silver Medallion at the Queensland Gold Medallion Awards in Toowoomba in August 2006.

Alisha, along with a couple of other artists will be doing a tribute to the late and great Bazza Thornton at this year’s Katherine Country Music Muster.

Contact:
Telephone: 0427 731 088
Email: bl27406@bigpond.net.au

Alisha has just released her first instrumental album.
Guitar Pickin' Chicken A terrific instrumental bush ballad album. Alisha plays in the Barry Thornton style with that unmistakable Gibson sound, covering some classic songs such as One Tree Plain & Winter Winds and also some of her own compositions like Guitar Pickin' Chicken and Snappy Guitar. The album features 15 tracks including some great originals and some old country classics.
The album features old classics like Tambo River Blues, Lead Me Down To The Stockyard, Snow On The Mountain’ One Tree Plain and some great originals - Highway Of Lost Dreams’ The Guitar Pickin’ Chicken and Jammo’s Jig, which were composed by Alisha and Keith Jamieson.