Willie "The Lion" Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Willie "The Lion" Smith
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Smith, c. January 1947
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholf Smith |
| Born | November 23, 1893 Goshen, New York |
| Died | April 18, 1973 (aged 79) New York, New York |
| Genres | Jazz, stride, blues |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Associated acts | Papa Jo Jones |
William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholf Smith (born November 23, 1893 – died April 18, 1973) was an American jazz and stride pianist. People knew him by his nickname, "The Lion". He was famous for his amazing piano playing style.
Contents
Willie's Early Life
William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholf was born in 1893 in Goshen, New York. His family gave him many names. His mother and grandmother picked them to honor his family history. When he was three, his mother married John Smith. That's when "Smith" was added to his name.
Willie's father, Frank Bertholf, was Jewish. Willie learned some Yiddish and studied Hebrew. He even had his bar mitzvah in Newark when he was thirteen. His mother, Ida Oliver, had a mix of Spanish, Black, and Mohawk Indian heritage. Her mother was a banjo player in minstrel shows.
Willie grew up in Newark, New Jersey. His stepfather, John Smith, worked at a pork packing company. Willie sometimes went with him to work. He said the sounds at the slaughterhouse were "weird but musical." He could hear them like instruments in a symphony.
The family moved a few times in Newark. Willie went to Baxter School, which was known for fights. One time, he got into trouble for trying to borrow money from a store's cash register. He wanted to see a show. After that, he moved to Morton School, which was calmer. He also went to Barringer High School.
Willie tried many sports to get attention from girls. He liked swimming, skating, and basketball. He was most interested in prizefighting. He met many famous boxers like Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey.
Willie also joined a club called The Ramblers. He was one of two Black members in the group. One of his friends, Louis Moss, later owned a saloon. Willie used to play piano in the back room of Moss's club.
Willie's Music Journey
When Willie was about six, he found an old organ in the basement. His mother used to play it. Even though half the keys were missing, he was very interested. His mother taught him songs, and one of the first was Home! Sweet Home!. His uncle Rob, a singer, taught Willie how to dance. Willie won a dance contest and ten dollars! After that, he focused more on playing music.
Willie really wanted a new piano. He got a job shining shoes and running errands at a shoe store. He earned five dollars a week. The store owner paid him well because Willie could speak Yiddish. Willie used his earnings to save for a piano.
He won a contest held by a piano store. He had to guess how many dots were in a circle in their newspaper ad. Willie used math to guess correctly and won an upright piano! From then on, he played the piano all the time. He learned songs he heard in clubs, like Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin.
By the early 1910s, Willie was playing in clubs in New York City and Atlantic City, New Jersey. He served in World War I in France. He was a gunner and was known for his bravery. This is how he got his nickname "The Lion." He was a decorated veteran of the 350th Field Artillery.
After the war, he returned to playing in Harlem clubs. Willie and other pianists like James P. Johnson and Fats Waller created a new, fancy piano style called "stride". This style involved a strong, steady rhythm in the left hand and playful melodies in the right hand.
In the 1940s, more people started to enjoy his music. Willie "The Lion" Smith toured North America and Europe until 1971.
Willie's Personal Life
Willie Smith had many brothers and one sister. Some were half-siblings. His older brother George became an officer in Atlantic City. Willie said their paths didn't cross much later in life.
When he was a boy, Willie delivered clean clothes for his mother. Some of her clients were a Jewish family who invited him to Hebrew lessons. Willie had his bar mitzvah at age thirteen. Later in his life, he even worked as a Hebrew cantor (a singer of prayers) for a Black Jewish group in Harlem.
Later Years and Legacy
In his later years, Willie "The Lion" Smith received many awards for his music. There was even a Willie "The Lion" Smith Day in Newark, New Jersey. He passed away on April 18, 1973, in New York, at 79 years old.
His music left a big mark on jazz. The famous musician Duke Ellington greatly admired Willie. Ellington once said, "Willie The Lion was the greatest influence of all the great jazz piano players who have come along. He has a beat that stays in the mind." Duke Ellington even wrote a song called "Portrait of the Lion" in 1939 to honor him.
Orange County, New York, also declared September 18 as Willie "The Lion" Smith Day. This was to celebrate his music at the Goshen Jazz Festival.
Discography
- Accent On Piano (Urania, 1957)
- The Lion Roars (Dot, 1958)
- The Legend of Willie "the Lion" Smith (Grand Award, 1959)
- Luckey & the Lion: Harlem Piano (Good Time Jazz, 1960)
- Memorial (Vogue, 1960)
- Piano Solos by Willie Smith, the Lion of the Piano: Original Compositions (Commodore, 1961)
- Piano Solos by Willie Smith, the Lion of the Piano: Show Time (Commodore, 1962)
- A Legend (Mainstream, 1965)
- Music On My Mind (SABA, 1966)
- The Lion (Vogue, 1966)
- Grand Piano: Virtuoso Duets by Willie Smith & Don Ewell (Swaggie, 1966)
- Willie the Lion and His Washington Cubs (Fat Cat's Jazz, 1971)
- Willie "the Lion" Smith (GNP Crescendo, 1972)
- Pork and Beans (Polydor, 1972)
- Dixieland All Stars (Roulette, 1973)
- Live at Blues Alley (Chiaroscuro, 1973)
- Relaxing (Chiaroscuro, 1977)
See also
In Spanish: Willie "The Lion" Smith para niños
- List of ragtime composers
