Roy Smeck
Roy Smeck | |
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4-string banjo, from a sheet music cover | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Leroy Smeck |
Born | Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S. | February 6, 1900
Died | April 5, 1994 New York City | (aged 94)
Genres | Country, ragtime, Hawaiian |
Occupations | Musician |
Instruments | Guitar, banjo, ukulele |
Years active | 1920s–1950s |
Leroy Smeck (6 February 1900 – 5 April 1994) was an American musician. His skill on the banjo, guitar, and ukulele earned him the nickname "The Wizard of the Strings".[1]
Background
Smeck was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. He started on the vaudeville circuit. His style was influenced by Eddie Lang, Ikey Robinson, banjoist Harry Reser, Johnny Marvin[2] and steel guitarist Sol Hoʻopiʻi. Smeck could not sing well, so he developed novelty dances and trick playing to supplement his act.
Vaudeville
Smeck was one of only two vaudeville artists to play the octachord, an 8-string lap steel guitar. He was introduced to the instrument by Sam Moore when he played on the bill with Moore and Davis in 1923.[3]
Like so many of the performers during the era, he was a big fan of the instruments created by the
In addition to playing the ukulele with his teeth, he would play it behind his back or even use a violin bow.[6]
Radio
Smeck was an early radio performer, putting together acts for appearances across the country. Almost all of them had his name in the band title, including The Roy Smeck Trio, The Roy Smeck Quartet, Roy Smeck and his Vita Trio, Roy Smeck's Novelty Orchestra and Roy Smeck and His Music Men.[7]
Notable appearances
On 15 April 1923, Stringed Harmony, a
.On 6 August 1926,
Smeck appeared in the film Club House Party (1932) with singing star Russ Columbo. He also appeared with Columbo in That Goes Double (1933), which featured Smeck on a screen divided into four parts, simultaneously playing steel guitar, tenor banjo, ukulele, and six-string guitar.
Smeck played at
Inventor and instructor
Smeck designed and endorsed the Vita-Uke and other stringed instruments marketed by the Harmony Company of Chicago. He made over 500 recordings for various companies, including Edison Records, Victor Talking Machine Company, Columbia Records, Decca Records, Crown Records, RCA Records and others. He also wrote instruction/method books and arrangements for the instruments he played.
Later life and recognition
A documentary by Alan Edelstein and Peter Friedman,
Smeck died in New York City at age 94.
In 1998, he was inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame. His citation read, in part, "The 'Wizard of the Strings' captured the hearts and minds of audiences for more than six decades."[8] He was posthumously inducted into the National Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame in 2001.
See also
- Banjo Hall of Fame Members
Notes
- ISBN 978-1-119-13599-9. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
- ^ The Guitar Players One Instrument and Its Masters in American Music by James Sallis, 1982, pg 83
- ISBN 9780595328963.
- ISBN 978-1-4768-6879-0.
- ISBN 978-1-4584-1654-4.
- ISBN 9781423603696.
- ISBN 9780595328963.
- ^ Ukulele Hall of Fame - Roy Smeck
External links
- Roy Smeck at IMDb
- Roy Smeck at IMDbas Roy Smeck and His Aloha Islanders
- The Wizard of the Strings at IMDb
- Discography
- Roy Smeck discography at Discogs
- Spaceage Pop
- Biography and personal memories of Roy Smeck
- Roy Smeck recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.