Born in Southern California and raised in Middle Tennessee, John Lee Smith followed his childhood dream of becoming a star. While he never set out to become the Boss of the Sticks, he created a style of music for people like himself, earning the title King of the Kuntry. Nicknamed Smo by his childhood buddies, he grew up to become a pioneer in the country rap genre. A captivating tale of coming-of-age, Smo shares his heartaches and successes from signing with a major record label to having his own hit reality tv show. He even includes stories from his loyal fanbase he calls his "Kinfoke". My Life in a Jar: The Book of Smo is a story of one man's dream turned reality and why he's still the Boss of the Sticks.
"When the National Enquirer called Smo a 'Country Singer, ' I almost had a f#$king stroke What did Neil Armstrong say, 'That was one small step for Big Smo, one HUGE step for the Country Rap genre...' " (HAYSTAK, legendary Southern Rapper)
"Smo's definitely one of the pioneers. I think what I admired most about Smo was the business sense that he had, and sense to get the reality TV show and get the big deal with Warners. I just remember thinking "That will do a lot for this genre and put this genre on the map where it needs to be." (Clay Sharpe of The LACs)
"I would absolutely say he's been a pioneer. When you think about the "pillars" that are in this genre, you've got The LACs, Colt Ford, and the Moonshine Bandits, and Big Smo." (BIRD of the Moonshine Bandits)
"I think he's one of the first people who gave alot of these country boys a voice and made them feel like it was cool to be from the sticks." (Demun Jones)