American Roots recording artist Grant Maloy Smith heard the strains of bluegrass from his Kentucky-born and raised Grandmother, and it got into his blood. His widely anticipated latest album "Dust Bowl - American Stories" is set squarely in the Great Plains of the 1930's, during the worst economic and environmental disaster that America has ever seen. Released in June 2017, "Dust Bowl - American Stories" has been on the Billboard charts for the last 15 weeks. It has reached #5 on the Billboard Americana/Folk Album Sales Chart, #12 on the Country Album Sales Chart, #2 on the all-genre Heatseekers Chart, and more.

The reviews are coming in, and they are stellar. NO DEPRESSION magazine writes “He has written a heartland masterpiece … Lyrics and music as potent as Woody Guthrie … Sent chills down my spine ... Grant's ability to capture the homeland in his music is amazing ... Bound to become a classic… A reminder of the darker period of Bob Dylan, and it's that good, that memorable.”

Roots Music Magazine writes: "Smith reminds of Jimmy Dale Gilmore ... he is a wholly impressive and emotive singer"

The Knoxville News Sentinal writes: "He has a style that puts the 'Western' back in country. But there's not a hint of cynicism or guile... Smith's songs are sweet, sad, defiant and full of sentimentality ... (they) stand sturdily on their own."

Dust Bowl - American Stories is an Americana/American Roots album is set squarely in the middle of the Oklahoma panhandle during the 1930s, when a terrible drought and the Great Depression struck at the same time. The stories that come out of these travails are full of hope and despair, optimism and regret... the full range of human emotions and experiences. The album features A-list Nashville players: Rob Ickes on dobro (Merle Haggard, Earl Scruggs, Alison Krauss, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton), Mike Johnson on pedal steel (Reba McEntire, Faith Hill, Brad Paisley. Carrie Underwood, Rhonda Vincent, George Strait, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson), Steve Stokes on fiddle (John Michael Montgomery, Trace Adkins, Josh Turner, Alabama), Jeff Taylor on accordion (The Time Jumpers, Elvis Costello, Paul Simon, Amy Grant, George Strait, Martina McBride, Buddy Greene, Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs), and more. Like the real history that serves as the dramatic backdrop, Dust Bowl is a powerful musical statement. Learn more about the album here.

Grant Maloy Smith was named the Male Americana Artist of the Year at the 2017 Indie Music Channel Awards at the legendary Troubadour, where he performed songs from his award winning album.