Meet Mama Jan Smith: Music & Vocal Producer, Singer, Songwriter, Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with “Mama Jan” Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi “Mama Jan”, what do you attribute your success to?
I used to think the most important factor behind success was success itself … meaning, that in the eyes of the world you had achieved some kind of benchmark that set you and/or your business apart from the pack.

What I now know to be true is that success is a journey, not a destination. One never truly “arrives” at success, rather “being” successful is in the achieving of goals and benchmarks.

In the eyes of the world, I am successful and have achieved a certain reputable status in my industry. But I see myself as a “working girl” continuing to grow and achieve, dream and expand, live and learn. If you stop learning you die. If you think you’ve arrived, your destination becomes the point at which your growth and success is limited. I hope I never stop growing and learning and doing whatever I can do to keep “being” successful.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I started out in the music industry as an artist … I was that post Woodstock era kid who wrote songs and sang them. Back then it wasn’t as common for every teenager on the block to be an aspiring music artist, so I was more unusual versus part of the trendy pack.

Growing up in southern gospel churches is where I cut my teeth on singing old spirituals and learning harmonies. And then came rock-n-roll). Fusing my more southern soulful background with rock music molded the blues/rock sound I became known for around the southeast … that, and my voice.

Working in recording studios and performing live in clubs and festival stages honed my vocal chops to then compliment other artist’s albums with my background vocal capabilities, as well as create character voices for cartoons and commercials.

And then I was asked to help another singer who was struggling with losing his voice. No one was really catering to the needs of rock singers at that time — it was still mostly classical instruction or nothing at all, so I was just the first girl on the block who knew enough to be dangerous and started working in a small rock guitar school as ATL’s first “rock vocal instructor.”

Fast forward to today, I own and operate Jan Smith Studios, an internationally sought after vocal coaching, artist development, and production facility which carries the largest roster of charting artists in the world. From Justin Bieber to Shania Twain, the Band Perry to Rob Thomas and Matchbox 20, Usher and Monica to Sevendust and Mastodon, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Nicki Minaj to Young Jeezy and Drake, Liam Neeson and Christian Serratos to Jill Scott and Kelly Price … you name ’em, we’ve probably had them come through for one reason or another, but ALL of it is artist and vocal centric, and it ALL happens right here in Atlanta, GA — where I was born and raised.

And now? We’re building out a new location to do even more artist development, recording and production, workshops, vocal coaching, performance training, videos and photo shoots, and just about anything you can think of that helps to grow artists in the today’s music economy.

I would want the world to know that it all started out as a one-woman operation and me just saying “yes” to helping somebody else who was struggling. God used my skillset (that He had developed all my life) to build an award winning business that continues to change the world one voice at a time. The working opportunities provided through the work of my hands has been the most humbling thing I’ve ever known and has far surpassed anything I could’ve ever dreamed of. I continue to stand in awe every day).

Lots of lessons, tons of mistakes, have been taken advantage of, had to learn how to build and run a business, train other people to work alongside me, understand failure, keep myself grounded in successes, pick myself up when the industry has knocked me down, and just believe that tomorrow is, indeed, another day. Faith, family, and friends will keep your head above the waterline and ultimately matter more than any amount of money or “stuff” you will ever acquire. Learning that is the single most important lesson of all.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

Oh man! First stop would be Eight Sushi or Umi just because the food is so ridiculously good. Might even go back a few times. Truth is, I’m not much of a socialite because I’m usually either working in my own studio or with a client on tour or at an awards show doing support. So truly hanging out with me would most likely be heading up to the North GA mountains to get away from it all for a minute and just be able to be still and breathe in the surroundings.

I do love to hang out with good friends – typically at a really great restaurant and just enjoy catching up. I’m looking real forward to checking out the Van Gogh experience and am always a sucker for a good movie. But at the end of the day, my life is pretty full of hanging out with exciting people and making music. There’s no place else I’d rather be.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

My 92-year-old mother is my greatest mentor and inspiration. After suffering through the tragic loss of her father at the age of 6, growing up in poverty during the Great Depression; surviving breast cancer, two strokes, two hip replacements and blindness in one eye; losing the love of her life after 62 years of marriage; and now being confined to a walker and an oxygen tank; she still wakes up every single day with a smile on her face while singing songs, and goes to bed praising God each night in prayer at how thankful she is. That alone, is all I need to know the legacy that’s been set before me and where I am to derive my strength from.

Website: www.jansmith.com

Instagram: @MamaJanMusic

Linkedin: “Mama Jan” Smith

Twitter: @MamaJanMusic

Facebook: @MamaJanMusic

Youtube: MamaJanMusic

Image Credits
photo: Mil Cannon, ImageMil