George M. Smith (musician)

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George M. Smith (born January 29, 1912 in New York City , † June 1, 1993 in Houston , Texas ) was an American musician ( guitar , composition ), who in addition to his work as a studio musician in the fields of jazz and light music operated. He was known as the "tutor of the West Coast studio guitarists".

Live and act

George M. Smith grew up on the East Side of New York ; his first instrument was a banjo . At the age of 15, he moved to Los Angeles with his family. In the 1930s he worked as a guitarist in the film studios of Fox , Paramount and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ; he accompanied artists such as Bing Crosby , Alice Faye and Irene Dunne . He has participated in countless studio recording sessions and has appeared as a guest soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra . In 1942 he published the Lahrbuch George M. Smith Modern Guitar Method for Rhythm and Chord Improvising . Smith also submitted a number of guitar compositions in 1946 such as "Carlotta", "Slow Burning", "Strollin 'Thru Manhattan", "Test Pilot" and "Whirlwind" which were released on the shellac album Variety Album , many of them in chord style . On his later album The Exciting Guitar Sounds he played in the easy-listening style standards such as "Beautiful Love", "There Will Never Be Another You" and "Younger Than Springtime".

According to Laurindo Almeida ( Contemporary Creations for Spanish Guitar , 1958), guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli was one of the few who recorded Smith's compositions in later years, heard on albums such as Doug and Bucky (1978), April Kisses (1999) and So Hard to Forget (2008).

Discographic notes

  • George M. Smith: Variety Album (Guitarists' Records, 1947), with Harry Bluestone, Marshall Sosson, Sam Freed, Cy Bernard , Artie Bernstein , Lou Singer , Emil Cadkin (arr)
  • The Exciting Guitar Sounds of George Smith (Barbary Coast Records, 1959)
  • My Teacher And I (Guitar Duets) (Guitarists' Records)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ James Sallis (Ed.): The Guitar in Jazz: An Anthology .
  2. ^ Maurice J. Summerfield: The jazz guitar: its evolution, players and personalities since 1900 . Ashley Mark, 1998, p. 321
  3. ↑ Tom Lord : The Jazz Discography (online) accessed April 7, 2020
personal data
SURNAME Smith, George M.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American musician (guitar, composition)
DATE OF BIRTH January 29, 1912
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City
DATE OF DEATH June 1, 1993
Place of death Houston