Junior Smith profile picture

Junior Smith

Rhythm is my business

About Me

Professional musician and bandleader; full time since 1978. Past bands include the Roadrunners (with Rebecca Kilgore and Bobby Gordon) and Hal's Angels (with Anita Thomas, Katie Cavera and Carl Sonny Leyland).Current: leading BLUE VOO, a Kansas City-style band that features Carl Sonny Leyland; the HAYRIDERS ('50s Southern Rockabilly Music with Johnny G. D'Artenay, Katie Cavera, Sue Palmer, Gino Meregillano) and VOO RENDEZVOUS ('30s Small-band swing).Sideman with: CARL SONNY LEYLAND TRIO; CASH KINGS (Johnny Cash tribute band); BUTCH THOMPSON TRIO (New Orleans Jazz); BIG RIG DELUXE (American Roots Music); YERBA BUENA STOMPERS (San Francisco Jazz); CHICAGO SIX (Mainstream Jazz)and BOB SCHULZ'S FRISCO JAZZ BAND (Traditional Jazz). Also work frequently with: BLUE LARGO; JOHNNY ROVER BLUES BAND; ROBIN HENKEL BAND; and on occasion with: JAMES HARMAN; BILLY WATSON and the INTERNATIONAL SILVER STRING SUBMARINE BAND (with JUNIOR WATSON and JOEY JAZDZEWSKI); NATHAN JAMES and BEN HERNANDEZ; CHET CANNON AND THE COMMITTEE.

My Interests

Railroads--past and present. DVDs, books, videos and watching the real thing.Western outlaws and lawmen.The War Between the States.The Sinking of the Titanic.Living in the South and the Southwest.Desert wildlife--especially Roadrunners and Rattlesnakes.

I'd like to meet:

Swing, rockabilly, traditional jazz, western swing, blues musicians. Railfans. Old West buffs. Herpetologists.

Music:

Five of my favorite jazzmen: Pee Wee Russell, Lester Young, Jess Stacy, Frank Teschemacher and Bix Beiderbecke.Favorite vocalists include Nina Ferro, Rebecca Kilgore, Nena Anderson, Banu Gibson.Chicago, New Orleans Jazz; Jazz and Ragtime Piano; Western Swing (esp. Bob Wills); Rockabilly (Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Billy Lee Riley); Early Rock (Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Collins Kids, Wanda Jackson); Blues.Drummers: Sid Catlett, Jo Jones, Dave Tough, Zutty Singleton, Vic Berton, Ray Bauduc, Ben Pollack, Nick Fatool, Jimmie Bertrand, Harry Dial, Kaiser Marshall, Walter Johnson, Johnny Wells, Gene Krupa, Minor Hall, Fred Higuera and many more!

Movies:

Tombstone; The Outlaw Josey Wales; The Wild Bunch; The Professionals; Big Jake; The Magnificent Seven; The Long Riders; The Last Hard Men; Whispering Smith; Union Pacific; Alcatraz Express; Elmer Gantry; Walk the Line; anything with Wallace and Gromit.

Television:

Most Shocking; Cops; Geico ads!

Books:

Lone Star Lawmen: The Second Century of the Texas Rangers (Robert M. Utley); Sabine Pass: The Confederacy's Thermopylae (Edward T. Cotham Jr.).

Heroes:

Railroad engineer John Luther "Casey" Jones.William Barret Travis, James Bowie, David Crockett.The Texas Rangers.Lt. Richard Dowling (Battle of Sabine Pass).Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor (Battle of Mansfield).

My Blog

Memphis Sun Kings Rule!!!

One of the featured sets at the 2006 San Diego Thanksgiving Dixieland Jazz Festival resulted in a number of surprises, for the audience as well as the musicians... This presentation, by the "Memphis S...
Posted by Junior Smith on Wed, 06 Dec 2006 06:28:00 PST

A Great Festival

"Great Festival!" That's what I kept hearing throughout the 2006 San Diego Thanksgiving Dixieland Jazz Festival.  And it was great! From a musician's standpoint as well as that of organizer, the ...
Posted by Junior Smith on Wed, 06 Dec 2006 05:57:00 PST

A Killer CD!!!

On my vacation, in Hernando, Mississippi, I picked up the long-awaited CD "Last Man Standing" by the legendary Jerry Lee Lewis.  Earlier in the day I tried to buy the CD at Tower Records in Memph...
Posted by Junior Smith on Mon, 23 Oct 2006 01:18:00 PST

A New Generation of Swing Musicians

For the last few years, I have enjoyed listening to a new generation of swing musicians. Groups such as the Mighty Aphrodite Jazz Band and the 51st Eight are great showcases for yo...
Posted by Junior Smith on Sat, 21 Oct 2006 03:08:00 PST