Sonny Smith’s “100 Records” Project

SONNY SMITH
"100 Records" project

San Francisco based artist, musician and playwright SONNY SMITH (of Sonny and the Sunsets) will celebrate the finished 100 Records project with his first solo exhibition at the Gallery 16, which displays the art show until May 31.  On display at the gallery will be all the original album artwork as well as a jukebox that plays all two hundred songs recorded by Sonny Smith and other notable musicians. Artists include, William T. Wiley, Mingering Mike, Chris Johanson, Reed Anderson, Jo Jackson, Harrell Fletcher, Chris Duncan, Tucker Nichols, Paul Wackers and 91 others!  Check out Sonny’s 100 Records blog.


Chris Johanson, courtesy of Gallery 16, San Francisco

  
"I didn’t intend to write so many songs. I had written a novel last winter about all these fictional musicians, and I got a small residency at the Headlands to write songs for these fake singers and make sketches of what their albums would look like. I thought that might be cool to insert in the novel. But I farmed a few drawings out — one to artist Paul Wackers, one to Mingering Mike [godfather of fake 45s], some to a few artists at Creativity Explored, and a few others to people I met through Headlands. The pieces were so amazing that I couldn’t not do that for all of the songs, and I couldn’t slack on the song-production end. So my novel just kinda broke up into this epic art project. Now there are about 60 artists, and I’m trying to do 200 songs. Marc Dantona has been helping me produce some sessions. We have a little wrecking crew band, and we are knocking shit out left and right. The “100 Records” show will be in April at Gallery 16."

(An excerpt from San Francisco Bay Guardian’s interview by Johnny Ray Huston :: Read more)

Kyle Field, courtesy of Gallery 16, San Francisco

Reed Anderson and Jovi Schnell, courtesy of Gallery 16, San Francisco

Earth Girl Helen Brown "Hit After Hit" (Side A);
El Rincon Record Palace 002, Copyright © 2010 100 Records