Willie smith american idol

Musical artist

William McLeish Smith (November 25, 1910 – March 7, 1967)^[1] was an American saxophonist and one of the major alto saxophone players of the swing era. He also played clarinet and sang.

Early life

Smith was born in Charleston, South Carolina, United States,^[1][2] and raised in Charleston and attended Avery Institute. His first instrument was clarinet, and his education was in chemistry.^[3] He received his chemistry degree from Fisk University, an HBCU.^[3]

Career

In 1929, Smith became an alto saxophonist for Jimmie Lunceford's band, becoming one of the main stars in the group.^[3] In 1940, he led his own quintet as a side project.^[4] His success with Lunceford had lost its charms by 1942, as he now wanted more pay and less travel.^[3] Smith moved to the Charlie Spivak orchestra for a year, and was in the United States Navy for another Willie "the Lion" Smith - Wikipedia.