Josh Smith

Florida-based guitarist Josh Smith and his band, the Rhino Cats, have been making waves up and down the East Coast blues club scene since the release of their two albums of material, Woodsheddin' (1996) and Born Under a Blue Sign (1995).
Although Smith is only 17 as of this writing, he joined forces with a veteran Fort Lauderdale area blues band, the Rhino Cats, in 1993. The group of road-ready veterans were so impressed with Smith's guitar playing (he was all of 13) that they asked him to join. The two albums they've recorded together got them noticed by radio programmers and club owners up and down the East Coast and in the Midwest, and the group spends their summers touring, when Smith gets out of school. Since forming in 1993, Smith and the Rhino Cats have played major blues festivals around Florida, including the Riverwalk Blues Festival, the Sarasota Blues Festival and the Fort Myers Blues Festival.
Already, Smith has shared stages with Jimmy Thackery, Chris Duarte, Kenny Neal, Matt "Guitar" Murphy, Johnny "Clyde" Copeland, Debbie Davies, Double Trouble, Joanna Connor, Tinsley Ellis and Lucky Peterson.
Through careful management of his career, Smith could take it national and become one of the greats of the fifth generation of blues guitarists, helping the music evolve well beyond the year 2000. ~ Richard Skelly