Legendary Guitar Maker Paul Reed Smith to Speak and Perform Friday Night of Fall Family Weekend

CHESTERTOWN, MD—World-renowned guitar manufacturer Paul Reed Smith will return to Washington College Friday, September 21 to speak and perform with his band.

            At 5 p.m. in “the Egg,” an intimate performance space on the first floor of Hodson Commons, he will talk about finding success in the music business. That talk is part of the George Washington Leadership Series of accomplished speakers.

            Later that evening, at 8 p.m., Smith will grab one of his guitars and lead the members of the Paul Reed Smith Band – bassist Gary Grainger, drummer Greg Grainger, guitarist Mike Ault and vocalist Mia Samone Davis—in a concert in Martha Washington Square, the open terrace outside the Gibson Center for the Arts. (In case of rain, the concert will move inside, into Decker Theatre.)

            Both the talk and the concert, which are part of a full schedule of events for the College’s Fall Family Weekend, are free and open to the public.

            A native of Bowie, Md., native Paul Reed Smith first began making guitars while studying at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. In 1975, he opened The Guitar Shop in Annapolis, where he custom-built guitars for local musicians. He formally established Paul Reed Smith (PRS) Guitars in 1985, and today the Stevensville-based firm is one of the largest manufacturers of high-end guitars in the world. Smith’s guitars, known for their distinctive tone and style, have been played by famous musicians of all genres and generations, from Carlos Santana to Dave Navarro to Jimmy Buffett.

            The Paul Reed Smith Band plays an eclectic mix of classic rock, current hits and original compositions and is known for its high-energy performances and interaction with the audience. The musicians have played throughout the United States and internationally. The band last performed at Washington College in late April, when Paul Reed Smith also offered a master class for students. For more information on the company, visit: http://www.prsguitars.com/index.php.

Renowned Guitar Maker Paul Reed Smith Brings Band to Campus for April 27 Concert

CHESTERTOWN, MD—World-renowned guitar manufacturer Paul Reed Smith and the Paul Reed Smith Band will perform at Washington College on Friday evening, April 27. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. in the Decker Theatre, Gibson Center for the Arts on the College campus, 300 Washington Avenue. Sponsored by the Washington College Musician’s Union, the event is free and open to the public.

Smith will hold a master class for Washington College students that Friday afternoon. 

            The Paul Reed Smith band consists of Paul Reed Smith and Mike Ault on guitar, Gary Grainger on bass, and Greg Grainger on drums, with vocalist Mia Samone Davis. The band, which plays an eclectic mix of classic rock, current hits, and original compositions, is known for its high-energy performances and interaction with the audience. The musicians have played throughout the United States and internationally.

            A native of Bowie, Md., native Paul Reed Smith first began making guitars while studying at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. In 1975, he opened The Guitar Shop in Annapolis, where he custom-built guitars for local musicians. He formally established Paul Reed Smith (PRS) Guitars in 1985, and today the Stevensville-based firm is one of the largest manufacturers of high-end guitars in the world. Smith’s guitars, known for their distinctive tone and style, have been played by famous musicians of all genres and generations, from Carlos Santana to Dave Navarro to Jimmy Buffett.

            For more information about PRS guitars and Paul Reed Smith, himself, please visit www.prsguitars.com. For more information about the Washington College Musician’s Union, visit www.washcoll.edu. 

Photo: Paul Reed Smith, foreground, with bassist Gary Grainger.

Guitar Maker Paul Reed Smith And Band To Rock Washington College's Town Hall, October 17

Chestertown, MD, September 17, 2003 — Washington College welcomes world-renowned guitar maker Paul Reed Smith and his band to the College's Town Hall, Friday, October 17, starting at 9 p.m. The concert is free to all Washington College students, staff and faculty. Born in Bowie, MD, Smith attended Bowie High School and St. Mary's College, where he hand-built his first guitar for extra credits from his music professor. In 1975, Smith opened The Guitar Shop on 33 West Street in downtown Annapolis and custom built guitars for area musicians, honing his craft and hoping for a break into the rock music industry.
“I remember hanging out at the local concert arenas for six, seven hours before a show to make friends with the roadies,” says Smith. “With a backstage pass in hand I'd peddle my guitars to the stars. One night in ten I'd make a sale. Carlos Santana, Al Dimeola, Howard Leese, and well-known others agreed to ‘check one out.' I made deals. If the big names didn't love the guitars they didn't have to pay me even when I knew I couldn't make my rent the next day. After getting some single orders and a small following, we built two prototypes. I popped them in the back seat of my truck and cranked it up, calling on guitar dealers up and down the East Coast. After a lot of miles I came back with enough orders to start a company.”
Now, after a quarter century—from lone craftsman to major manufacturer—Smith and his company, PRS Guitars, are recognized for building the world's premier electric guitars. Manufactured on the Eastern Shore in Stevensville, MD, the distinctive style and sound of PRS guitars are known to both musicians and music fans alike, and are seen in the hands of the world's finest players, from Carlos Santana, Dave Matthews, and Dave Navarro to Alex Lifeson of Rush and Brad Delson of Linkin Park.
In his spare time, Smith enjoys playing and making music with his two bands, the Paul Reed Smith Dragons, which records guitar-driven, original songs, and the Paul Reed Smith Band, which he describes as “a bar band whose main job is to have fun and to make sure that the people who come get to dance, have a good time and listen to songs they know and hear a few tunes they don't.”
The Paul Reed Smith Band performance is sponsored by Washington College's Student Events Board and Student Government Association.