06/08/2026
The Charlie Poole Festival is excited to welcome back our own Jesse Smathers to close out the first night (Thursday, June 11) of our concert series. Jesse Smathers was born and raised in Eden, NC, but holds his Western NC roots close. Jesse comes from a long line of musicians. His grandfather, Harold Smathers, and grand-uncle, Luke Smathers, recorded for June Appal and were awarded the North Carolina Folk Heritage Award in 1993 for their contributions to North Carolina folk music. Jesse began playing the guitar at age eleven, and added the mandolin not long after. His teens were spent competing at fiddlers conventions, including his home festival, the Charlie Poole Festival. In 2010, he began his career as a touring musician with the James King Band, and in 2014 he joined the Nothin’ Fancy band. The Lonesome River Band welcomed him to the group in 2015 as their mandolin player, with Jesse earning the IBMA Momentum Award for Vocalist of the Year in 2017. In 2021, Jesse switched over to the guitar position with Lonesome River Band, and continues to tour with them around the country. In 2022 Jesse released his first self-titled solo album, and one of his latest singles - Charlie Poole’s “Take a Drink on Me” - reached #1 on the bluegrass charts. Take a listen here: https://youtu.be/gRgKEAGP1bc?si=F-LcMw13KH3E7qYE
For tickets, visit: https://www.charlie-poole.com
