Guitarist Richard Smith plays shows June 9 and June 10 at Churchill School in Baker City. Both are free, and supported by Learn from the Masters Music Outreach and Saint Alphonsus-Baker City. (Contributed Photo)

BAKER CITY — By 11, Richard Smith could play every song Chet Atkins ever recorded.

And that’s when he was invited to join Atkins on stage in London.

Looking back, Smith, now 53, recognizes that momentous opportunity.

“At the time, I was more scared to get up with Chet in front of all those people,” he said.

Smith was born in Beckenham, England, and picked up the guitar at age 5 after hearing his dad play the Atkins’ version of “Down South Blues.”

He wanted to learn the fingerpicking technique of the guitar.

“My dad taught me my first chord and my first tune. Then I learned by ear listening to records,” he said.

Smith describes this technique as “more of a piano style.”

“You’re doing the melody with your fingers and the bass with your thumb,” he said.

He formed the Richard Smith Guitar Trio with brothers Rob and Sam before marrying American cellist Julie Adams, and moving to Nashville in 1999. He performs solo and as a duo with his wife. His music includes country, bluegrass, blues, ragtime, folk, jazz, pop and classical.

He’s a traveling musician and spends only about 12 weeks a year at home in Tennessee.

“What would I rather be doing? Nothing,” he said.

Now Smith is coming to Baker City for two concerts, plus smaller performances at Settlers Park, Meadowbook Place and Brooklyn Primary School.

His visit, which spans two days, is made possible by Learn from the Masters Music Outreach (LMMO) and Saint Alphonsus Medical Center-Baker City.

Concerts

There are two chances to catch Smith in concert — Monday and Tuesday, June 9 and June 10, at Churchill School, 3451 Broadway St. Doors open at 6 p.m. both days, and the music starts at 6:45 p.m. Food will be available from MC Taco Bus.

Admission is free, although organizers are requesting tickets to track attendance at churchillbaker.com.

LMMO

LMMO was founded in 2018 by Dr. Larry Birger, director of the hospital medicine program at Saint Alphonsus-Baker City. The music philanthropy organization is “dedicated to reaching the hearts and relationships of people and communities with the healing power of music,” according to the website, lmmo.org.

LMMO has several goals — available on the website — but Birger emphasizes one in particular: “Raise awareness of the value of music in our lives, and encourage appropriate compensation of the musicians and others who cultivate it.”

“To promote music and the arts and the great things that can happen,” Birger said.

Birger took rock guitar lessons as a teenager, and classical guitar from Celin Romero during pre-med at the University of California, San Diego.

Then his music took a backseat for two decades until 2017, when a conversation with Ohio musician Adam Cord turned into Skype lessons.

“He ignited a renaissance in my music, and it just grew from there,” Birger told “Today’s Hospitalist” in May 2022.