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He loved singing Charley Pride, George Strait, George Jones and Willie Nelson songs and passed his passion for Country music on to his children then grandchildren. Having moved from Reading to Portsmouth where he grew up, Henry Jnr’s interest in Country music blossomed. “I like each and every one of the great traditional country artists” he told me, “George Jones, Randy Travis, George Strait, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and many many more, each of them has been my inspiration and influence throughout different times of my career.”
Henry was weaned on Country music, and never paid much attention to anything else. By the time he joined his first band he was already a Country veteran having joined his dad’s band as occasional drummer from the age of five. Henry Smith the toddler was supposedly asking his old man for his salary even before his gig was over!
When popular Southampton based Hank Dalton retired from his own band, Henry joined them in 1990 when he was 18. Having played with them for a few years in 1995 Henry Smith & The Dalton Boys were relaunched onto the Country circuit with a new line-up. Ian Stewart (lead guitar) was the latest recruit to the band having been standing in with them for a few gigs. When he was asked to join full time he immediately moved from Sheffield to Portsmouth. He started playing in 1973, when he was just 14, joining his parent’s band. Since then he travelled extensively, including America where he played lead guitar in Georgia for two years. Terry Goodchild on bass was the only original member of the Dalton Boys, having been with the band since they started. Greg Padmore on drums was the resident comedian in the band, seeing the funny side of everything.  Greg was a top class drummer, learning his trade from his father who was also a top professional drummer in the 60s and 70s. Greg was converted to Country in 1980.
Henry & The Dalton Boys quickly made a very big impression on the country scene, including many festivals and showcases, receiving great reviews from the young to the old, and from fellow artists alike. On stage Henry made full use of his wireless head set by dancing whilst he sang and sometimes joining the audience on the dance floor.  This flamboyant stage presence has been part of his performance ever since.
In August 1996 Henry Smith & The Dalton Boys were the cover feature in Southern Country magazine, three months later Henry changed the name of the band to Henry Smith & Country Dreams.  The band name remains to this day although they were often called the Henry Smith Band. Six months later, the band released the cd album, What You Can Do Today, which sold in large numbers.
Moving into the 20th century, while many bands fell by the wayside becoming duos or even solos, Henry’s band continued going from strength to strength. There were numerous changes to the line-up though. In 2004 the band comprised Henry Smith (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Robbie Burns aka Chiv (lead guitar), Steve Harrop (pedal steel guitar), Mike Abbott (bass) and Neil Harris (drums). At this time Henry’s father often joined the band on stage as a guest.
By 2007 the line-up had changed again. Dave Hayward (pedal steel guitar) and Clive Grant (bass)  joined Henry, Robbie Burns and Neil Harris. When Chiv passed away, another experienced lead guitarist, Andy Twang joined the band. When Dave Hayward left,  Scott Newstead (keyboards) joined but his time with Country Dreams was short lived with Derek Thurlby bringing pedal steel guitar back to the band.
In 2009  the band were voted BCMA Band of the Year and again in 2010. Henry himself achieved Entertainer of the Year in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Over the years Henry has shared the stage with many visiting overseas artists including Mark Chestnutt, Billy Yates, Billie Jo Spears, Heather Myles, Joni Harms, Eve Sellis and Danni Lee. He recorded a duet, Fooling Myself, with Billy Yates which reached number three in the International Independent Chart.
During his career he has toured with his band widely in Britain and  Europe with one excursion to Nabraska, USA, he is hoping he will be able to do it all over again in the near future. Seven out of 11 cd albums so far released have hit the radio charts, these include Mum And Dad,  Hello DJ (2004),  Welcome To My World (2004),  There Goes,  I Hope She Falls and Enough Tequila. Henry does write some of his own songs but never includes more than one on any of his albums. The title song on his 2004 album, Hello DJ, is one of his own.
In 2016 Henry first noticed a problem with his voice as he was unable to hit some of the notes, this then progressed to the odd word that just wouldn’t come out of his mouth and he was forced to give up singing. He was diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, a neurologic disorder that can affect the voice and speech causing the muscles that generate a person’s voice to go into periods of spasm.
After receiving treatment for the condition for six years, initially from the NHS but later with the help of a private London specialist partially paid for by crowdfunding, Henry started to get his voice back in late 2021 and he quickly knew it was time to reform Country Dreams and make a very welcome return to the Country circuit in late summer 2022. Performing to the public has always been his passion and he once said his biggest regret in life was not being born in Nashville, Tennessee.
The current line-up of Country Dreams is with all familiar faces. Joining Henry Smith (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) is Mark Jacobs (lead guitar and vocals). Mark and Henry have been the best of friends and have worked together on and off for over 30 years.  Mark’s love for Country music started at a young age, he learnt guitar at the age of 14, joining the Southampton based Hank Dalton Band when he was 16. He stayed with the band until Hank retired and that is when he first met Henry Smith when he joined the Dalton Boys in 1990 as lead singer. By 1995 Mark had left the Dalton Boys and since then he has worked with many popular bands including The Rick McKay Band, Kalibre and his own band, Perfect Strangers. Most recently he has been working with Ridgeway Country until forming his own new band, Honky Tonk Strangers, which includes other members of Country Dreams.
Dave Hayward (pedal steel guitar) has made a welcome return to the band. He is one of our most experienced and stylish pedal steel guitarists and over the years he has played with many top Country bands including Al Barrett’s Linemen, Frank Jennings Syndicate, Little Ginny, and Marietta Station. Such was his standing as a player; he has performed at steel guitar festivals in the USA, Holland and Ireland; and in the UK at every British steel guitar festival at Newbury. He also recorded a very well respected album entitled London to St Louis in 1980 with Gerry Hogan, another stalwart of the pedal steel guitar. More recently Dave has been a member of the Ray Peters Band and in 2015 he joined Ray in the Smokey Turtle Band. He has also been a member of the Ian Highland Band, Ridgeway Country and has recently joined Mark Jacobs as a member of the Honky Tonk Strangers.
Andy Twang returns to the band but now plays bass rather than lead guitar. Like other members of Henry’s band Andy has been playing Country music from a young age. At the age of 12 he was given his first guitar and his dad taught him how to play. Two years later he made his first appearance on television when he performed the instrumental Ghost Riders In The Sky. Not long after that he joined his first Country band, whilst still at school. Andy travelled the UK playing his guitar and met many different artists and performers; and quickly realised he wanted to be a Country musician. Since then he has been in many British Country bands including Clovis, Medicine Bow, Diamond T Band, Dusty Rhodes Band, Band Named Sioux and more recently the Ray Peters Band and Ridgeway Country. He has also backed visiting American artists including Billy Yates and Heather Myles. He is also a member of Mark Jacob’s Honk Tonk Strangers.
Neil Harris on drums is a very experienced drummer having played with Henry for many years. Having played all styles of music including being a member of late 80’s pop band Halo James (they had a number six chart hit with Could Have Told You So). He first came onto the Country scene as a member of the Longriders. During his time with that band they worked with artists like Michael Twitty (son of Conway Twitty) and John Permenter.
With Henry back on stage he is also now working with his son Jamie who could soon be following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps. Jamie Smith got the performing bug at a very young age and loves it. He’s been working with Henry on his first studio album and Henry really believes he’s got the potential to become a big name on the Country scene.