Joe Smith

JoeFoxSmith (né Joseph Emory Smith; June 28, 1902 – December 2, 1937) was an American jazz trumpeter.

Known throughout his childhood as “Toots”, Smith originally started as a drummer but was convinced by Ethel Waters that he was far better as a trumpet player. It has been said that when he reached New York in 1920 he already had a fully formed style, which achieved “the vocalized sound, the blues spirit and the swing which makes for convincing jazz performance”.

In 1921, Smith joined the Black Swan Jazz Masters in Chicago, Illinois, directed at the time by Fletcher Henderson who described Smith as “the most soulful trumpet I ever had”. He also worked with the Jazz Hounds, the Broadway Syncopators, and finally with McKinney’s Cotton Pickers throughout the 1920s. He became famous from his work accompanying Bessie Smith, recording over 30 records. She stated that Smith was her preferred cornetist when recording, due to his reserved additions to her voice.Some of the other artists he worked with include Billy Paige, Noble Sissle, Eubie Blake, and Allie Ross.

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