Paul Smith learned to play Irish fiddle 50 years ago from the patriarch of the legendary Glackin fiddling clan, Tomas Glackin, in Dublin, Ireland.

Playing a variety of stringed instruments, he has been part of music in the Northwest for decades, releasing albums on the Flying Fish label, touring solo with his band Ellipsis, composing music for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Chanticleer, and publishing research and recordings on early African-American banjo music.