Willie The Lion Smith

Smith, who was Black and Jewish, was born as William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholoff Smith in Goshen, New York. His father, Frank Bertholoff, was Jewish.By the early 1910s he was playing in New York City and Atlantic City, New Jersey.Smith served in World War I, where he saw action in France, and played drum with the African-American regimental band led by Tim Brymn. Legend has it that his nickname "The Lion" came from his reported bravery while serving as a heavy artillery gunner. He was a decorated veteran.He returned to New York City after the war, where he worked for decades, often as a soloist, sometimes in bands and accompanying blues singers such as Mamie Smith. Although working in relative obscurity, he was a "musician's musician," influencing countless others including Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, and Artie Shaw.In the 1940s his music found appreciation with a wider audience, and he toured North America and Europe through 1971. Willie "The Lion" Smith died in New York City.His autobiography, "Music on My Mind", was published in 1965.