Smithfield Fair

Dudley-Brian Smith (guitar, mandolin, bagpipe) and Jan Smith formed Smithfield Fair in 1989, after the breakup of Charmer, the pair's previous group. In addition to the core duo, Frang Bladen (Dudley-Brian Smith's nephew) has provided work on bodhran and percussion since the mid-'90s. Smithfield Fair's roots are more firmly implanted in folk music — traditional Scottish folk music, to be precise — than Charmer's. Smith, a seasoned bagpipe player, has utilized his knowledge of traditional Scottish songs, which have been passed down to him from his grandmother. Though the group has played live on a regular basis since forming, it has maintained a consistent recording schedule since 1995, with albums released on Centaur and Stevenson.