As he grew older, John continued to pursue his musical career developing music in many different genres.  He plays guitar, trumpet and drums. John's focus now is on writing and arranging music and playing the drums.

John created the group Da'Ja (the name means "Ready"). Da'Ja revamped in 2002 when John developed a new sound he calls "Latin Funk". It's modeled after the sound of singing legend, Selena.

As his music evolved, he began recruiting musicians and released his first CD, "Straight Up John Smith & Da'Ja"

Da'Ja opened performances for such artists as Anita Baker, Chapter 8, Martha Reeves, The Forced MD's, The TIme, and Carl Carlton... to name a few.

Da'Ja is about building bridges between musical genres, generations, races and cultures - past and present.

Their second CD, "Up and Ready" (2008) is already receiving critical acclaim for its hit single "Lost Chronicals". Their third CD, "Da-Jay", was released recently and is HOT!

John Smith and Da'Ja have performed in venues and festivals across the country.  Look for John Smith and Da'Ja at a venue near you.

The group is available for both private and public functions. For booking information contact Michael Mills Entertainment Group at (313)221-3106.