Roy Smeck

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Leroy "Roy" Smeck (born February 6, 1900 in Reading , Pennsylvania , † April 5, 1994 in New York City , NY ) was an American guitarist who was particularly successful in the field of Hawaiian music . His nickname was The Wizard of the Strings ('sorcerer of the strings').

Life

His career began in the early 1920s when he made some records for Warner Bros. Records . He later appeared in several Warner Bros. Pictures feature films. In addition to his successful solo recordings, which were a mixture of jazz , hillbilly and Hawaiian music, he often worked with country singers Vernon Dalhart and Carson Robison . In the early 1930s he then founded his own band, the Vita Trio. He also played around the world and appeared on the inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt . He began publishing non-fiction books on playing the ukulele , banjo and steel guitar . He later began appearing on television, including the Ed Sullivan Show.

In his long career, Smeck recorded more than 500 records, including for Victor Records and RCA Victor , Edison Records , Columbia Records and Decca Records . In the 1970s, it gained new popularity through re-releases.

Roy Smeck died on April 5, 1994 at the age of 94 in New York. He was posthumously inducted into the Banjo Hall of Fame and the Ukulele Hall of Fame in 2001.

In 1985, a short documentary film was made about him called The Wizard of the Strings .

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personal data
SURNAME Smeck, Roy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Smeck, Leroy (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American guitarist
DATE OF BIRTH February 6, 1900
PLACE OF BIRTH Reading (Berks County, Pennsylvania)
DATE OF DEATH April 5, 1994
Place of death New York City