Dan Smith is teaching … David Paterson guitar.
The former governor of New York reemerged in the public eye Sunday night as he and the musician-turned-meme jammed out at a Hell’s Kitchen bar.
Paterson, 66, introduced Smith at Bar Nine on Ninth Avenue — then shocked the crowd, and wife Mary, by grabbing an acoustic and hopping behind the mic.
“My lessons w/ @DanSmithSongs have really started paying off!” the ex-guv tweeted. “Last night I introduced him at Bar Nine and then surprised Mary and others by jumping in to play and sing Stand By Me and Heard it Through the Grapevine! I was just as nervous as my 1st day in office. What a blast!”
Clips posted on social media show Paterson — donning a white T-shirt bearing Smith’s famous “Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar” ad — strumming and warbling through the Marvin Gaye classic.
Bar Nine opened its windows for passersby to enjoy the live performances by Smith, who headlined Saturday and Sunday.
Paterson plugged Smith’s scheduled shows last week, tweeting, “@DanSmithSongs is the best! I’ve been playing with him for the past few months and it will be an absolute pleasure to introduce him at his show next Sunday night, September 13th, outside Bar Nine on 9th Ave. between 53rd and 54th St. at 7:30 PM!”
Smith, 49, has offered up his services in flyers that have popped up across the city over the past 20 years — spawning memes and turning him into a local celebrity.
The native of Newton, Mass. teaches guitar students at his studio on the Upper West Side.
Paterson told The Post he’s dabbled in guitar since high school but never fully committed to lessons — until he stumbled upon one of Smith’s ads posted on East 96th Street while on a walk with his wife through Central Park.
The former politician is now a devoted student. He’s been taking a two-hour lesson every Tuesday since May and now practices six days a week.
Still, he got on-stage jitters when Smith asked him to introduce him at the Bar Nine event and then jam together after.
“I said absolutely not, I’ve been playing guitar for three months and when I play, I feel like I’m on a high wire — one misstep and it’s over,” Paterson said.
Paterson reluctantly agreed once Smith chose two “easy” songs to play, Paterson said.
He figured, “I can check this off my bucket list or I can just die on the stage.”
“I’ll have to say, I think I was more nervous than the day I was sworn in as governor,” Paterson added of his time in the limelight. “We were up there for about 10 minutes and originally we were going to keep it a secret that I was going to play and then we pretended it was a secret.”
But once on stage, Paterson said the butterflies melted away.
“I said I would play as long as I don’t have to sing, but then I played ‘Stand By Me,’ and I said, ‘OK, I think I’ll sing now,’” he said.
Next up on his repertoire are Reba McIntire’s “One Promise Too Late,” Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” — and maybe one day, “Layla” by Eric Clapton.
But so far, Paterson hasn’t booked any future shows.
“I figured David Letterman sits up there for an hour and a half trying to be funny out there,” he joke of the retired “Late Night” legend. “Maybe he could have me on?”
Smith, who grew up in Newton, Mass., teaches guitar students at his studio on the Upper West Side.
“David is a very motivated, focused guy,” he told The Post.
Paterson, who is legally blind, became the state’s first black governor after taking over for Eliot Spitzer’s term from 2008 to 2010 following Spitzer’s resignation in disgrace amid a hooker scandal.
He is married to Mary Paterson, the ex-wife of Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa.
Paterson currently works as the vice president of Las Vegas Sands Corp.