Arthur Smith (country musician)
Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith (born April 1, 1921 in Clinton , South Carolina , † April 3, 2014 in Charlotte , North Carolina ) was an American country musician . His music is a mixture of western swing , bluegrass and early rockabilly ; therefore he is also considered to be one of the greatest influences of later rockabilly. Smith used to be a representative of hillbilly boogie and played a variety of instruments.
Life
Childhood and youth
Raised in Kershaw, South Carolina, Arthur Smith started his career with his brothers Ralph and Sonny as the school band The Crackerjacks . Their father, who was a textile worker, led a band from which they also found the inspiration for music. They and their father performed together on weekends and occasionally on WSPA.
Career
In the late 1930s, Smith moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he appeared regularly on WBT. In 1937 Smith got the chance to record his first records at RCA Victor , but they went unnoticed. His first release was a version of Cliff Carlisle's You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone ; Smith released his version as Old Santa Claus Is Leavin 'Just Because . When World War II began, the brothers were drafted into the army and the group broke up. After his release, Smith returned to Charlotte in 1945 and founded Arthur Smith and his Cracker Jacks with his brothers, wife Dorothy and singer Roy Lear . The band began performing at the Carolina Hayride on WBT. They also had their own morning show on WBT, Carolina Calling . Meanwhile, Smith and his band began making records. Her first single on the MGM Records label was the Guitar Boogie ; the instrumental became an instant hit, selling over 3 million copies. It rose to number one on the Billboard Country Charts and reached number 25 on the pop charts. The song was covered in 1959 by Frank Virtue as Guitar Boogie Shuffle .
In 1951 Arthur Smith and the Cracker Jacks made their debut on the newly formed television network WBTV, where they got their own show, the Arthur Smith Show . It was the first country television show to air across the country. After more than three decades, it was discontinued in 1982. In the 1950s, Smith continued to be successful and popular with his songs. In addition to touring Europe and Africa, Smith founded the first recording studio in Charlotte, where he recorded stars such as James Brown . In the years that followed, Smith produced other successful television shows from Johnny Cash , George Beverly Shea, and other stars. His songs were recorded by Cash, Randy Travis and Willie Nelson , who recorded Smith's song Red Headed Stranger for his album of the same name. The Cracker Jacks had many country stars as members, including George Hamilton IV , Don Reno (with whom Smith also wrote the song Duelin 'Banjos ), Jim Buchanan and Ray Atkins.
Arthur Smith retired in the fall of 2006, but performed occasionally afterward. He died at his Charlotte home two days after his 93rd birthday.
Discography
Singles
| year | title | Record company |
|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Old Santa Claus Is Leavin 'Just Because / I'm Going Back to Old Carolina | RCA Victor |
| 1937 | There Are No Dissapointments in Heaven / You Soul Never Dies | RCA Victor |
| 1945 | Guitar Boogie /? | Superdisc |
| 1947 | Fingers on Fire /? | Superdisc |
| 1948 | Guitar boogie / boomerang | MGM |
| 1948 | Raindrops and Teardrops / Foolish Questions | MGM |
| 1948 | Don't Look For Troubles / Mountain Be Bop | MGM |
| 1949 | Be Bop Rag / I Never See Maggie Alone | MGM |
| 1949 | Mule Train / Banjo Rag | MGM |
| 1949 | The Guitar and the Piano / I'm Only Telling You | MGM |
| 1950 | I'm Afraid Of Wimmin '/ IH Boogie' | MGM |
| 1950 | Conversation With A Mule / Mandolin Boogie | MGM K10791 |
| 1950 | Mr. Stalin, You're Eating Too High on the Hog / Banjo Buster | MGM |
| 1950 | Beautiful Blue Eyes / Train Whistle Blues | Capitol |
| 1951 | Red Hot Race / Rhumba Boogie | MGM K 10881 |
| 1951 | Who Shot Willie? / Espress Train Boogie | MGM K10991 |
| 1951 | Merry Christmas Everyone / Guitar Jingle Bells | MGM |
| 1952 | Beautiful Brown Eyes / Beautiful Brown Eyes | MGM |
| 1953 | Truck Stop Boogie / Hi Lo Boogie | MGM |
| 1953 | You're Hooked / Midnight Rag | MGM |
| 1957 | Teenage Rebel / Easy Rocking | MGM K12544 |
| 1958 | Bustin 'Guitar / Rockin' The News | MGM K12618 |
| 1959 | Banjo Boogie / Hard Boiled Boogie | MGM K12791 |
| 1962 | Guitar Boogie Twist / Napoleon's Retreat | Starday 576 |
| 1962 | Heartaches / Foolish Questions - Silly Answers | Starday 634 |
| 1962 | Hospitality Blues / Philadelphia Guitar | Starday |
| 1963 | Master of the Blues / Traveling Game | Starday |
| 1963 | Ty My Hunting Dogs Down, Jed / Guitar Hop | Starday 642 |
| 1963 | The Stuttering Song / Back To His Hole He Went | Starday 656 |
| 1963 | A Salute to Mobile Home Living "The German Mobile Homes March" / The Modern Good Living Song | German Mobile Homes 101-45 |
| 1964 | I Like Lasses / Flat Top Hari Kari | Starday |
| 1965 | The Bill Malone Story / I Look Up | Dot |
| 1966 | The Jet Set / New River Train | Dot |
| 1967 | British Backbeat / Lynn's Gone | Starday |
| 1967 | Today / Whitepoint | Dot |
| 1969 | What is an American? / Psychoanalysis | Starday |
| 1969 | Guitar Unlimited / Summer Theme | Starday 868 |
| 1973 | Ringing Banjos / Battling Banjos Polka | monument |
| 1974 | Guitar Boogie / Right On | monument |
| 1978 | Foolish Questions / Georgia Camp | monument |
Albums
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Web links
- Arthur Smith in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Arthur Smith (country musician) on Hillbilly-Music.com (English)
- Arthur Smith in the All Music Guide
- Songs for free download
Individual evidence
- ↑ Songwriter Arthur Guitar Boogie Smith passed away. Report on countrymusicnews.de from April 4, 2014 (accessed April 4, 2014).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Smith, Arthur |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Smith, Guitar Boogie (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 1, 1921 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Clinton , South Carolina |
| DATE OF DEATH | 3rd April 2014 |
| Place of death | Charlotte , North Carolina |