DONN R. SMITH
Alan's Recollection Of First Meeting Donn Smith
I first met Donn through music.
It was at the now legendary Chubby’s “Club LaSalle”, where he frequented the long-running Sunday night open stage hosted by the late Beth Powell. Chubby’s was known as a “songwriter’s” bar. It labeled itself as, “the home of original music.. There was a core group of songwriters seriously dedicated to their craft that routinely performed there on Sunday nights. While the open stage was not a talent show per se, it did have a gentle, but positive, competition among that core group of songwriters in debuting their new compositions. Each songwriter took pride in their latest creation and obviously sought out confirmation of it from that small, naked corner stage in the “Little Room” of Chubby’s. Donn was definitely one of the individuals in that core group.
When I first met Donn, he struck me as quiet and unassuming, although it was obvious that he socialized easily with the other writers/players and patrons. In fact, at first, I didn’t even know he was a musician, let alone a songwriter; and even later, to learn that he was a serious sculptor!
As you can imagine, it being a bar, with alcohol being served, Sunday nights at Chubby’s tended to get noisier as the evening wore on, particularly if a performer or two played a really blistering set, getting the audience all roused up.
Donn generally played late, near the end of the evening’s performances. I am still struck how he could quiet down the raucous crowd by simply playing and singing. It was amazing how his voice would draw the crowd in, how they suddenly, collectively realized that they were listening to a REAL artist.
One of the ways that you knew other musicians appreciated Donn’s talent was that frequently one or two (or three or four) would come up to a microphone just off of the stage and lend their harmonies to Donn’s vocal melodies. It was magic!
Alas, Chubby’s “Club LaSalle” is no longer with us; but, Donn is, thankfully!
If you have an opportunity to catch Donn at one of his performances, please do so. You will not be disappointed
Donn Smith on the deck at Lazy Daze Coffee House