Songwriter with Parkinson’s teams up with Grammy award winners for fundraising album

Samuel Smith has teamed up with some of the world’s most celebrated musicians to record the album, In the Springtime. The impressive line-up boasts 27 Grammys between them.

Much of In the Springtime was recorded in Frome, Somerset, with Sam Lakeman and his wife, Irish folk singer, Cara Dillon. It was finished in Nashville, Tennessee. The album is an eclectic mix of bluegrass and acoustic music featuring 15 artists from the US and the UK. These include Ron Block of band Alison Krauss & Union Station, pianist Matt Rollings, fiddle legend Stuart Duncan and rising mandolin star, Sierra Hull.

All the songs were written and produced by Samuel, 46, who hopes the album will inspire others and kick-start a wider conversation about the therapeutic power of creativity for those living with Parkinson’s.

Samuel, who is a director at London-based PR agency Freuds, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in December 2020.

Parkinson's diagnosis

Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world, and around 145,000 people in the UK have the condition. With over 40 symptoms, from tremor and pain to depression and anxiety.

Samuel said:

"A few weeks after diagnosis, I had this moment where I looked down at my arm and I couldn’t play the guitar. It was like my head was saying 'go on then play’ but I just couldn’t."

A recent survey by Parkinson’s UK found that receiving a diagnosis brought about fears about living with the condition in over 8 in 10 adults with Parkinson’s. Of those with fears, over half of adults with Parkinson’s were worried about not being able to continue their hobbies when diagnosed with the condition. And over 3 in 5 say their symptoms prevented them from doing something they love. Just like Samuel found in those early days.

Parkinson's, creativity and music

Samuel continued to say:

"Playing has always been like breathing, so to suddenly be unable to do it was like having the ground collapse from under me. Fast forward a few months and I had begun to get into a rhythm with my medication. I remember I started strumming and playing again and it was like being reunited with someone I never thought I’d see again.

"Creativity and music felt like the only way for me to make sense of everything, to process it, to escape from it or to take it head on. So, I completely threw myself into it and that is what led to this record."

The Parkinson’s UK survey also found that around 1 in 5 people say they have rediscovered their creative abilities since starting treatment and 2 in 5 found that their diagnosis has led to them doing something they’d never considered doing before or taking up a new hobby. The top activity that people with Parkinson’s say helps them relax is listening to music, over half of people.

A family affair

As well as Grammy award winners, Samuel’s close friends and family members also helped make the album a reality. His cousin Charlie is 22 and from Bristol. Charlie learnt all the songs and was on hand to step in when Samuel couldn’t play the guitar due to his Parkinson’s.

Samuel’s passion for music started at the age of 13. His uncle and Charlie’s dad, George Smith, taught him how to play the guitar. George was a professional musician who gigged extensively in and around Weston-super-Mare and Bristol in the 1970s and 1980s. George features on the record but sadly died just months after recording. 

Samuel said:

"I feel utterly blessed to have George on the album. It is dedicated to him.

"I’ve been very honest throughout this process as I know this could be my last opportunity to make a record as I don’t know how my Parkinson’s will progress. I’d like to thank all the artists on the album. What I am proudest of is that, irrespective of how moving my story is, world-class musicians don't agree to take part in a record unless they rate the music."

Paul Jackson-Clark, Director of Fundraising and Engagement at Parkinson’s UK, said:

"We’re delighted to be partnering with Samuel on his new record, In the Springtime. His passion for creativity and music is truly inspiring and proves that a Parkinson’s diagnosis doesn’t mean you have to stop doing what you love. So many people discover, or in Samuel’s case, rediscover their creativity after a diagnosis and the results are always so inspiring.

"We’re indebted to the incredibly generous artists who are helping to raise funds for Parkinson’s research and to find a cure."