SMITH, JOE

SMITH, JOE. Jazz trumpeter (28 June 1902 in Ripley, Ohio; 2 December 1937 in New York, New York). He came from a musical family: his father, Luke Smith , was leader of a brass band in Cincinnati, Ohio, and six brothers became professional jazzmen, including Luke and Russell. He studied trumpet with his father and began playing professionally with local groups at an early age. He left home with a touring group and eventually arrived in New York about 1920, where he...