Texas troubadour Darden Smith is, in the words of the All Music Guide, “a singer-songwriter blessed with an uncommon degree of intelligence, depth, and compassion.” Born in Brenham, Texas, and based in Austin, he released his first album, Native Soil, with Lyle Lovett and Nanci Griffith singing harmony, in 1986, and has just released his 14th, Love Calling. His sound blends country and folk traditions with a more contemporary sensibility – and a Texas twist.

Darden has also collaborated on dance and theater productions in Austin, which led him to compose a symphony, “Grand Motion,” performed by the Austin Symphony in 1999. “Exploring this other work forced me to look at how I was pigeonholing and limiting myself,” he says. “This opened up how I defined myself, no longer as just one thing. I was about 40 then and the last decade or so has been the most creative time of my work life.” He created the Be An Artist program, which uses songwriting to help students discover their own creativity, and SongwritingWith, a program that taps into the power of collaborative songwriting and helps people find their own voice. Last year, he started SongwritingWith: Soldiers, which pairs returning vets with professional songwriters. This fall will mark his second year as Artist-in-Residence at Oklahoma State University’s Institute for Creativity and Innovation. “Intelligence, depth, and compassion” – that pretty well sums up the music and the person.

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