Will Smith has devised innovative chording and tuning systems for the autoharp and demonstrated them in a unique playing style.

He has appeared as a sideman on the Grand Ole Opry and on numerous Grammy and Canadian CMA-awarded albums by such artists as Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire, Kathy Mattea, Collin Raye, Randy VanWarmer, Pam Tillis, Hobo Jim, The Wilkinsons, and others. He has led workshops all over the United States and in the UK. A clip from one of his videos was recently featured in an exhibit at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, and The Tennessee Arts Commission named him one of six musical acts to receive a grant for their 2019 Traditional Arts Mentorship program. In 2016, he was named to the Autoharp Hall of Fame, one of the few currently active players to receive this honor. His web site is WillSmithMusic.com and his Facebook artist page is Willsmithautoharp. His YouTube channel, Will Smith autoharp-music, has received hundreds of thousands of views.

Songs Will has written have been recorded by a number of major label country music artists. His longest and most frequent collaborator has been bluegrass phenom Shawn Camp. He has run web operations for Nashville legends Cowboy Jack Clement and percussionist Kenny Malone and still does the site for producer Jim Rooney, whose work with John Prine, Nanci Griffith, Townes Van Zandt, Newport Folk Festival, and others helped build the framework for the Americana Music movement.

Since 1988, Will has taught and performed at many festivals, including MLAG, California Autoharp Gathering, Northwest Autoharp Gathering (OR), Ozark Autoharp Jamboree (AR), Augusta Heritage Workshops (WV), Ashokan Music and Dance Camp (NY), Folk Alliance (IL), and Sore Fingers Fall Weekend (Kingham, UK), just to name a few.