category: instrumental gospel / country / easy listening

CD Track Listing

  All compositions by Julian Smith except where noted

1. Just A Closer Walk With Thee (trad. arr. Julian Smith) (2:54)
"Excercise daily, Walk With God." An old gospel favorite with which I take tuneful liberty.

2. When They Ring Those Golden Bells (Dion De Marbello; arr. Julian Smith) (3:38)
If I have a trademark arrangement, this is it. A visiting preacher at my home church sang this old hymn acappella, giving me the inspiration. The song is intentially played without meter; but with feeling. I played this song during the 1998 "Home Of The Legends" contest in Kentucky and won first place in the freestyle competition. Again, I played it during the 2000 "National Fingerpicking" competition in Winfield, Kansas and placed second.

3. Holy, Holy, Holy (Heber / J.B.Dykes; arr. Julian Smith) (2:38)
Revelation 4:8 ".......Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come."
I developed an interest in the classical guitar styles of Chet Atkins after purchasing his "Class Guitar" album. I grew up attending the Baptist church, so naturally I had to try my hand at this wonderful old gospel favorite on the guitar. I have updated this song over the years to it's present arrangement.

4. Home Folks (2:52)
I played a local senior citizen home one sunday afternoon. As I was leaving, a dear little lady said to me, "Sonny, you're pretty good on that guitar, but we like singing!" It was enough to get me thinking. Home; the earth is our home. We have our houses and our families and that is our home, at least while we are in our spring and summer years. But as the autumn years approach, our residence could possibly be the retirement or nursing home; just a season away from our Heavenly Home. So in perspective, we're all "Home Folks".

5. King David's Psaltery (5:13)
II Samuel 6:5 "And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments, made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, ......."
King David was a great musician; a man after God's own heart. Chet Atkins was a master of the guitar; no doubt the best fingerpicker this world will ever know. I am so blessed to have lived in the same time span as Chet. I can only imagine how Chet and King David would sound playing together on the guitar, harp, and psaltery. I wrote this song with that in mind.

6. He's The Lily Of The Valley (trad. arr. Julian Smith) (2:11)
Song Of Solomon 2:1 "I am the Rose of Sharon, and the Lily of the Valleys."
The choir sings this song at my home church. It's a great tune, "Everybody ought to know."

7. Paradise Park (3:10)
St. Luke 23:43 "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise."
I wrote this song as a tribute to the annual Merle Travis "Home of The Legends" guitar thumbpickin' festival held at Paradise Park in Powderly, Kentucky. The park is very peaceful, serene, and almost spiritual. As a born again Christian and by the saving grace of God, one day I shall truly be, "Pickin' In Paradise".

8. Taylor-Made Rag (2:10)
This is a lively bluegrassy fingerstyle tune that I composed on my Taylor 714-CE. The guitar is tuned EBGDGD.

9. Nether Strings (4:10)
Joshua 15:19 "Who Answered, Give me a blessing, for thou hast given me a south land, give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs."
Another of my compositions, comprised of three-finger rolls and bass notes played simultaneously and at the same time. God blessed me with the upper strings and the nether strings.

10. Rose, Wood, & Steel (3:28)
A church advertisement read: Jesus built a bridge with two boards and three nails." Jesus is the Rose; the Cross the Wood; and the Nails, the Steel. Hence: "Rose, Wood, & Steel" - my original composition.

11. The Unclouded Day (J.K.Alwood; arr. Julian Smith) (2:56)
Revelation 21:23 ".......The Lamb is the light thereof."
This is another of my trademark arrangements. I arranged this song for the guitar in 1995 after attending a close friend's funeral. The pianist played it just prior to the service. I realized this would be a good song to play in the style of Chet Atkins. I tried to utilize Chet's arranging method to make it interesting. I established the melody and modulated to a different key; played a little jazz, a little Jerry Reed, a little Merle Travis, a chorus variation of my own, a little bluegrass roll; then back to the original key, ending with an arpeggio and a right hand bass-string touch note.

I sincerely hope you enjoy my music as much as I love playing it for you,
Julian Smith (Bowden, GA) 2000

Total timing: 35:17

Label/No: JCS-2000

Release date: (c)2000, 2004 reissue