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Country music singer-songwriter Canaan Smith takes the stage at the Grange

CENTRE HALL — One of Nashville’s brightest and most talented young stars is making a stop in Central PA, as Mercury recording artist Canaan Smith will perform 8 p.m. Wednesday at the 143rd Annual Centre County Grange Fair, 237 South Hoffer Ave.

Smith’s gifts as a storyteller have earned the respect of his peers and his songs have been recorded by Cole Swindell, Florida-Georgia Line, Jason Aldean and Love and Theft, among others.

Love and Theft took “Runaway” to the top ten on the charts and Aldean put his unique stamp on “Black Tears,” a song Smith co-wrote with Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard.

Smith has seen firsthand the impact his music has on fans as he’s toured extensively with Dierks Bentley, Brantley Gilbert and Kip Moore. “Love You Like That” was a proven fan favorite as it hit No. 1 and continues to garner extensive airplay, selling more than one million tracks.

With wisdom beyond his young years, Smith has emerged as one of Nashville’s most compelling storytellers. Whether painting a steamy portrait of a burgeoning relationship in the hit single “Love You Like That” or honoring the memory of his brother in the powerful title track, Smith knows how to draw listeners into his world.

Smith’s debut album, “Bronco,” which includes the RIAA Platinum Certified No. 1 Hit “Love You Like That,” debuted in the Top 5 on Billboard’s Country Albums Chart. The breakout smash “Love You Like That” is also one of the top streaming tracks from all new artists in country music, besting many songs from the genre’s superstars. “Bronco” features 10 additional tracks, including the party anthem and fan favorite, “Hole in a Bottle.” The rest of the stellar collection showcases Smith’s songwriting and vocal prowess, which has led to numerous mentions on “ones to watch” lists.

After his own headlining tour of the US in the fall of 2016, Canaan embarked on an extensive sold-out tour of the U.K. with London based breakout country duo The Shires. While there, his album skyrocketed to No. 3 on the U.K Charts. Thanks to overwhelming demand, Smith returned to the UK last March for the C2C Festival followed by his own headlining tour.

Smith’s reputation as a road warrior and one of the top live performers in country music has not happened by accident. Along with his headlining dates, he has been burning up the highways in recent years, playing well over 400 shows for more than a million fans.

A native of Williamsburg, Virginia, Smith grew up listening to a variety of music from George Strait to Rage Against the Machine. He knew early on that he wanted to make music for a living.

“My dad was a rock singer in a band,” Smith said. “They toured locally and I got to learn from what he did.”

“I’m a product of some ’90s George Strait and the ’90s alternative rock scene — that’s what I grew up on,” Smith said. “There was a band called Switchfoot back in the day, and their early stuff really had an impact on me musically. They were doing pop melodies and hit melodies that were very appealing. It was music that a guy can really jam to when he’s driving up and down the road like I was.”

Smith’s first regular gig was back in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he grew up. At age 15, he already was writing songs on his own when he and some buddies started a band together.

“We toured like crazy as high-schoolers — we took our show on the road from day one,” he said. “I haven’t slowed down since to be honest.”

While writing and taking a few years to go to school, Smith and his band stopped touring. After high school, the band called it quits and they went their separate ways.

“In that process of going to school and being on my own and still writing songs, my music transformed and went back to story-based songs,” he said. “I was cutting my teeth on a lot of country music at that point. I came out the other side as a person who’s a hybrid of the early band days and later on the lyrical-based country tunes.”

In 2009, Smith moved to Nashville to pursue his music career. Making it there was not on his timetable however; it was just part of God’s plan for him.

“Nashville is a town that can give you hope and a lot of discouragement at the same time,” he said. “You just have to understand that there’s a time and a place.”

It was a learning process and an experience that made him a sharper, more dedicated person to his craft.

“The fact that it didn’t happen right away for me, made me really pay attention to every move that I was making and appreciate the process once it did happen — once I did get the record deal, a hit song and my first tour,” he said. “It makes it that much sweeter when you’ve experienced the reality. Sometimes there are letdowns, but you just bounce back, and it makes you stronger.”

Among the instruments Smith plays are guitar, piano and drums. During his live shows, he primarily plays both the electric and acoustic guitar.

In his songwriting, Smith usually draws from his own life and his own experiences, but he is sometimes inspired by just whatever is in the air that day.

“It is a gift, and I thank God for the gifts when they come,” he said.

For his studio album “Bronco” in 2015, Smith himself listened to and/or wrote several of the songs.

“We sifted through and picked what we thought would tell the best story,” he said. “It was a cool process — dwindling down songs is not easy to do but it’s an important process.”

For now, Smith is just focusing on his music and performing for what he hopes will be a huge audience at the Grange.

“Any time I have the opportunity to play for people who are there to listen to my music, it’s a win,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to the show and seeing my fans in that area, and also making some new ones.”

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