Meet Denny Smith

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Denny Smith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Denny, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience? I’m probably more inclined to chalk it up to simply being stubborn, or “bullheaded”, as my mom would say, despite me clearly having inherited that trait from her. She did teach me to be tough though, and never let me skate on things she knew I’d eventually regret, for allowing them to get the best of me so easily. I would’ve missed a lot of opportunities early on, if it weren’t for her pushing me to chase them, and stay the course.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

My time is split primarily between two endeavors, with a handful of “side hustles” that help keep the lights on.

The first is my band, The Great Affairs, and that has been up and running for well over a decade at this point, with numerous releases, and hundreds of shows under our belts by now. We churn out an amalgam of Power Pop & Classic Rock, with some Singer/Songwriter moments tossed in for good measure, and just enough of a modern twist in the production to keep what we do from from qualifying as total throwback….or so we tell ourselves. I happen to think we’ve grown into a pretty fine live act, and we’ve made some great records along the way to boot, which has allowed us to stay fairly busy when we want to. This Summer we’re doing a few festival dates, and in the Fall we’ll be on the road with Mike Tramp’s White Lion for a handful of dates.

When I’m not busy with The Great Affairs, I pour my time into my business, Co-Op Records of Pekin, IL. 26 years & counting, we’ve been rolling along, even though I’ve been a full-time resident of Nashville, TN, 450 miles from the shop itself, since 2003. The distance presents some unique challenges, but I’ve been fortunate to have some amazing staff at the helm in my physical absence, so we’re still kickin’.

I also work part time for a rigging company, doing A/V work at various venues throughout the city, play the odd solo acoustic show every now & then, and have recently resurrected a project called fORMER, that’s more of a Modern Rock-leaning outfit, what we coined “Loud Pop”. I’m hoping we can get that to the stage before the end of 2024 as well.

I don’t sleep much, but I like to stay busy, so I’ll catch up on the naps when I retire to the beach in 20 years.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1) You have to believe in yourself. Having a little swagger goes a long way, especially if you’re pursuing a career as an artist. The old “Fake it ’til you make it.” routine can buy you the time you need to figure out the rest, so don’t be afraid to fall on your face once in a while…just make sure you act like you meant to take that dive when you get back up.

2) Never stop learning. Never stop growing. Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Trust me, none of us know everything, and most of us know almost nothing.

3) Find your strengths, and lean into them.

I’m probably not supremely qualified to give advice on much, but all of the above have served me well.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

Aging gracefully.

30-some years of jumping around on stages, sleeping sitting up in a van, and screaming into a microphone will take its toll. I’ve had surgery to repair vocal cord polyps, umpteen chiropractic visits, massage therapy for the nerves in my wrists & hands, anti-inflammatory drugs for my joints, and sometimes I wear a knee brace, to support a torn meniscus, injured diving to catch a falling guitar. I probably would’ve been better off pursuing a career in professional sports. I hear it pays better too.

Seriously though, I try to keep myself in shape, with a lot of cardio, some weights, and a reasonably responsible diet. I don’t ever want to see photos or video from a show where I sound winded or tired, where my clothes don’t fit right, or I’m struggling to hit the notes. Every year, it gets harder to live up to the job, so I just work a little harder to make up the difference.

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