Dr. Jon 🎸

Jonathan Smith, known professionally as Dr. Jon, is a guitarist, producer, educator, and founder of The Pluck. His work brings together performing, writing, recording, collaboration, and teaching, with guitar at its foundation and a broader practice across other plucked-string instruments. Working across classical, jazz, pop, rock, and blues, he collaborates with artists and composers on stage and in the studio. His performance background includes lead guitar with bands such as the Jesse Daniels Band and The Dialogue, as well as classical guitar with the flute-and-guitar ensemble GS Duo. Alongside classical, electric, and steel-string guitar, he plays bass, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, and lap steel.

Teaching is an extension of his creative practice. He draws on classical training and experience across genres to help students develop their technique, musicianship, and creative voice. Through lessons and mentorship, he supports people who want to deepen their playing, explore musical ideas, and develop their own work. Through The Pluck, he brings together music, education, and creative resources for people working with plucked strings. Its five-part framework—Learn, Write, Record, Play, Teach—reflects the connected practices at the heart of his work as both a musician and an educator.

He holds degrees from Stetson University, The University of Akron, and Shenandoah University, including a Doctor of Musical Arts in guitar performance. His background includes top prizes at the Wilson Guitar Festival, Appalachian GuitarFest, James Stroud All-Ohio Guitar Competition, and Southern Guitar Festival. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer of Galestro Records, overseeing operations, strategy, and production, and is a voting member of the Recording Academy.