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In 1984 smith opened the W.O. Smith Music School in
Nashville with the aim of offering musical instruction to low-income families. On inception, the school served 45 students, it has since developed into a state-of-the-art facility with over 650 students. In his memoir, Smith remembered his life as
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Smith acted as the band director in the Thirty-Seventh
Special Services Company, U.S. Army, stationed in Fort Huachucha, Arizona. Following his military service, he briefly returned to New York, working as a musician. During this period, Smith began his lifelong career as an educator, teaching at
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said of Smith, "Of all the musicians I've had the pleasure of associating with, I can say that Oscar Smith was among the most gifted. His timing and resolution were almost perfect. He helped me discover my own sense of harmony and rhythm." Gillespie describes him as a sideman extraordinaire.
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that of "a witness, an anonymous witness. A sideman along for the ride. A witness to the birth and growth of jazz as an
American art form. A witness to the unfolding drama of the civil rights movement." As he put it, "It has been long and interesting gig for me."
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and music educator. Although he never pursued a solo career, and, as a result, is not often remembered by jazz historians, Smith was an important player in early jazz history as a sideman. Most notably, Smith was the bassist on
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In 1945, Smith moved to
Baltimore, where he met and married Catherine Leeds in 1948. The couple had three children together: Jacqueline, Jay and Joel.
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After a lengthy struggle with cancer, W.O. Smith died on May 31, 1991, in
Nashville. Shortly before his death, Smith completed his memoir,
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who moved to
Philadelphia in 1935. Smith and Gillespie started out in music together, playing for the
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201:". In June 1942, he received his Bachelor's Degree from NYU. Smith began graduate studies at the
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177:(NYU). During this period, Smith played with some of the greats of jazz history, including
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After attending
Mastbaum Vocational School of Music and graduating from
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for seventeen years. Smith also worked as an adjunct professor at the
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Burials at
Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery (Nashville, Tennessee)
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which was published posthumously in 1991. He is buried at
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in 1937, Smith made his way to New York City to enroll at
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Sideman : the long gig of W.O. Smith : a memoir
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273:Sideman: The Long Gig of W.O. Smith, a Memoir
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313:. Nashville, Tenn.: Rutledge Hill Press.
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166:until 1937, when Gillespie moved away.
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419:People from Jefferson County, Georgia
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454:20th-century American male musicians
305:Smith, W.O; Dizzy Gillespie (1991).
117:(May 2, 1917 – May 31, 1991), was a
424:Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee
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339:"William Oscar Smith (1917-1991)"
368:"History of William Oscar Smith"
354:"Coleman Hawkins: Body and Soul"
439:20th-century American musicians
231:In 1952, the family settled in
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444:Jazz musicians from Tennessee
429:American jazz double-bassists
203:University of Texas at Austin
156:Benjamin Franklin High School
133:". The great jazz trumpeter
459:American male jazz musicians
449:20th-century double-bassists
393:Profile: William Oscar Smith
241:Nashville Symphony Orchestra
129:' iconic 1939 recording of "
197:seminal 1939 recording of "
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237:Tennessee State University
205:and ultimately earned his
152:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
32:William Oscar (W.O. Smith)
20:William Oscar (W.O.) Smith
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370:. W.O.Smith Music School
243:, with which he played
223:Seward Park High School
146:W.O. Smith was born in
277:Woodlawn Memorial Park
38:Background information
257:Vanderbilt University
253:Blair School of Music
434:Male double-bassists
233:Nashville, Tennessee
164:Frankie Fairfax Band
175:New York University
115:William Oscar Smith
395:at Discogs website
211:University of Iowa
171:Lincoln University
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127:Coleman Hawkins
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372:. Retrieved
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218:World War II
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179:Bessie Smith
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67:(1991-05-31)
65:May 31, 1991
414:1991 deaths
409:1917 births
245:double bass
183:Fats Waller
100:Double bass
53:May 2, 1917
403:Categories
283:References
49:1917-05-02
209:from the
90:classical
76:Tennessee
72:Nashville
374:3 March
216:During
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82:Genres
267:Death
249:viola
207:Ph.D.
104:viola
376:2014
315:ISBN
247:and
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119:jazz
86:Jazz
62:Died
43:Born
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