Joseph C. Smith: Difference between revisions
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==Biography== |
==Biography== |
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'''Joseph Cyrus Smith''' was born in [[Sag Harbor, New York]] in 1883.<ref name=Barna /> |
'''Joseph Cyrus Smith''' was born in [[Sag Harbor, New York]] in 1883.<ref name=Barna /> He was of Russian ancestry on his father's side, and of Austrian ancestry on his mother's.<ref name=Barna /> He was a working musician by the time he was 16, and by 1903 was known for working in dance bands. In 1914 he landed the important post as resident dance band at New York's [[Plaza Hotel]], where he stayed for nine years.<ref name=Barna /> He moved to [[Montreal]] and began a sequence of broadcasts on station [[CKAC]]. In the late 1920s he travelled widely as leader, including Canada, Europe, and both coasts of the United States. From the 1920s through the 1940s he worked as an arranger for the [[Robbins Music Corporation]].<ref name=tg /> He settled down in the New York City area in the 1930s, and retired in 1945, moving to Florida.<ref name=Barna /> He died of a myocardial infarction at a [[Miami Beach]] hospital on March 22, 1965.<ref name=Barna /> At the time of his death he was married to Margaret Lynch.<ref name=Barna /> |
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==Style== |
==Style== |
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Smith was instrumental in the transition from the heavy sound of military marching bands so popular before World War 1 to the lighter sounding dance music of the 1920's.<ref name=Barna>{{cite web |url=http://www.phonostalgia.com/smith/ |title=Joseph C. Smith (1883 - 1965):America's First Famous Dance Band Recording Artist |last1=Barna |first1=Ryan |date=2010 |website=Phonostalgia |publisher= |accessdate=2 February 2014}}</ref> |
Smith was instrumental in the transition from the heavy sound of military marching bands so popular before World War 1 to the lighter sounding dance music of the 1920's.<ref name=Barna>{{cite web |url=http://www.phonostalgia.com/smith/ |title=Joseph C. Smith (1883 - 1965):America's First Famous Dance Band Recording Artist |last1=Barna |first1=Ryan |date=2010 |website=Phonostalgia |publisher= |accessdate=2 February 2014}}</ref> Most of his recorded output are instrumentals, although [[Victor Records]] would sometimes assign an in-house vocalist to some sides.<ref name=tg>{{cite web |url=http://www.gracyk.com/smith.shtml |title=Joseph C. Smith and His Orchestra |last1=Gracyk |first1=Tim |date=2006 |website=Tim's Phonographs and Old Records |accessdate=2 February 2014}}</ref> He was the first to record a [[Cole Porter]] song.<ref name=tg /> Although not a jazz unit as thought of in a modern sense, Smith did often use jazz colorings in his arrangements.<ref name=rhj>{{cite web |url=http://www.redhotjazz.com/jcso.html |title=Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra |last1=Alexander |first1=Scott |website=Red Hot Jazz |publisher= |accessdate=2 February 2014}}</ref> It was Smith's lack of use of instrumental soloists that led to his sound becoming outdated and the corresponding decline in his popularity as a recording artist.<ref name=Barna /> |
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==Recordings== |
==Recordings== |
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Smith was active as a recording artist from 1916 until 1925. |
Smith was active as a recording artist from 1916 until 1925. He first recording session was for Victor, and for the next two years had mediocre success, but in 1918 several of his records became big sellers.<ref name=Barna /> Many of his records featured medleys taken from current Broadway shows.<ref name=tg /> By 1922 his records were not selling as well,<ref name=Barna /> and he made his last recordings for Victor in March of that year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://victor.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/talent/detail/29231/Joseph_C._Smiths_Orchestra_Musical_group |title=Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra (Musical group) |date= |website=Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings |publisher=University of California Santa Barbara Libraries |accessdate=2 February 2014}}</ref> He then recorded briefly for [[Brunswick Records]] in 1923.<ref name=Barna /> He last recorded in Montreal in 1925.<ref name=rhj /> |
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==Notable |
==Notable alumni== |
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* [[Hugo Frey (musician)|Hugo Frey]]<ref name=tg /> |
* [[Hugo Frey (musician)|Hugo Frey]]<ref name=tg /> |
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* [[Fred Guy]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/fred-guy-mn0000106465 |title=Fred Guy Artist Biography |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |website=Allmusic |publisher= |accessdate=2 February 2014}}</ref> |
* [[Fred Guy]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/fred-guy-mn0000106465 |title=Fred Guy Artist Biography |last1=Yanow |first1=Scott |website=Allmusic |publisher= |accessdate=2 February 2014}}</ref> |
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[[Category:American violinists]] |
[[Category:American violinists]] |
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[[Category:People from Suffolk County, New York]] |
[[Category:People from Suffolk County, New York]] |
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[[Category:Musicians from New York]] |
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Revision as of 11:26, 3 February 2014
Joseph C. Smith | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Joseph Cyrus Smith |
| Born | August 13, 1883 Sag Harbor, New York |
| Died | March 22, 1965 (aged 81) Miami Beach, Florida |
| Genres | dance band |
| Occupation(s) | conductor, arranger |
| Years active | 1900 – 1945 |
| Labels | Victor, Brunswick |
| Past members | Hugo Frey, Fred Guy |
Joseph C. Smith (August 13, 1883 - March 22, 1965) was a violinist, composer, dance band leader and recording artist most popular in the second and third decades of the 20th-century.
Biography
Joseph Cyrus Smith was born in Sag Harbor, New York in 1883.[1] He was of Russian ancestry on his father's side, and of Austrian ancestry on his mother's.[1] He was a working musician by the time he was 16, and by 1903 was known for working in dance bands. In 1914 he landed the important post as resident dance band at New York's Plaza Hotel, where he stayed for nine years.[1] He moved to Montreal and began a sequence of broadcasts on station CKAC. In the late 1920s he travelled widely as leader, including Canada, Europe, and both coasts of the United States. From the 1920s through the 1940s he worked as an arranger for the Robbins Music Corporation.[2] He settled down in the New York City area in the 1930s, and retired in 1945, moving to Florida.[1] He died of a myocardial infarction at a Miami Beach hospital on March 22, 1965.[1] At the time of his death he was married to Margaret Lynch.[1]
Style
Smith was instrumental in the transition from the heavy sound of military marching bands so popular before World War 1 to the lighter sounding dance music of the 1920's.[1] Most of his recorded output are instrumentals, although Victor Records would sometimes assign an in-house vocalist to some sides.[2] He was the first to record a Cole Porter song.[2] Although not a jazz unit as thought of in a modern sense, Smith did often use jazz colorings in his arrangements.[3] It was Smith's lack of use of instrumental soloists that led to his sound becoming outdated and the corresponding decline in his popularity as a recording artist.[1]
Recordings
Smith was active as a recording artist from 1916 until 1925. He first recording session was for Victor, and for the next two years had mediocre success, but in 1918 several of his records became big sellers.[1] Many of his records featured medleys taken from current Broadway shows.[2] By 1922 his records were not selling as well,[1] and he made his last recordings for Victor in March of that year.[4] He then recorded briefly for Brunswick Records in 1923.[1] He last recorded in Montreal in 1925.[3]
Notable alumni
Compositions
- Lovely Summertime[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barna, Ryan (2010). "Joseph C. Smith (1883 - 1965):America's First Famous Dance Band Recording Artist". Phonostalgia. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f Gracyk, Tim (2006). "Joseph C. Smith and His Orchestra". Tim's Phonographs and Old Records. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ^ a b c Alexander, Scott. "Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra". Red Hot Jazz. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ^ "Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra (Musical group)". Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings. University of California Santa Barbara Libraries. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ^ Yanow, Scott. "Fred Guy Artist Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 February 2014.