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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Samuel Smith

‘I wanted to play but my hand wouldn’t move’: making an album with Parkinson’s

Samuel Smith, centre, with musicians (and husband and wife) Cara Dillon and Sam Lakeman
‘I reached out to all my heroes’ … Samuel Smith, centre, attracted Cara Dillon and Sam Lakeman to work on his album. Photograph: Courtesy: Samuel Smith

It was 3 December 2020 when I found out. For months I had been battling stiffness in my right arm. Now, the test results had come back from the lab. “You do know what’s going on here, don’t you?” my neurologist inquired, peering over the top of his notes. I could feel all the air being sucked out of the room. Suddenly I was hovering between a life lived and a new life to be faced. “You’ve got Parkinson’s.”

Fast forward to my living room a few weeks later. I was perched over my guitar and in a tailspin. Playing should have been as easy as breathing; instead, I was paralysed – unable to play a note. The voice in my head screamed “play, play” but my hand wouldn’t move.

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