Russell Smith | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Russell Taylor Smith |
| Born | February 5, 1890 Ripley, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | March 27, 1966 (aged 76) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Instruments | Trumpet |
Russell Taylor "Pops" Smith (February 5, 1890 – March 27, 1966)[1] was an American jazz trumpeter.
Early life
Smith was born in Ripley, Ohio.[1] Smith learned alto horn as a child, and switched to trumpet when he was fourteen years old. He played in local bands as a teenager and relocated to New York City in 1910.[1]
Career
By 1915, Smith was playing in London with Joe Jordan's orchestra.[2] In the late 1910s and early 1920s he found work playing stage revues and in military bands. He became a member of Fletcher Henderson's band in 1925, remaining with Henderson intermittently until 1941.[1] During that time, he also played in the Blackbirds of 1928 revue and, in the mid-1930s, with Horace Henderson, Benny Carter, and Claude Hopkins.[2] From 1941 to 1946, he played in Cab Calloway's group, then worked with Noble Sissle toward the end of the 1940s.[1] He moved to California in the 1950s, where he lived the rest of his life.[1] He was less active as a performer, but occasionally taught music.
Personal life
Smith was the brother of Joe Smith. He died in March 1966 in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 76.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 2308. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- 1 2 "Russell Smith Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
Other sources
- "Russell Smith". The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 2nd edition, ed. Barry Kernfeld.