Age, Biography and Wiki

William Oscar Smith was born on 2 May, 1917 in Bartow, Georgia, is an A 20th-century american male musician. Discover William Oscar Smith's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 74 years old?

Popular As N/A
Occupation N/A
Age 74 years old
Zodiac Sign Taurus
Born 2 May, 1917
Birthday 2 May
Birthplace Bartow, Georgia
Date of death 31 May, 1991
Died Place Nashville, Tennessee
Nationality Georgia

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 2 May. He is a member of famous artist with the age 74 years old group.

William Oscar Smith Height, Weight & Measurements

At 74 years old, William Oscar Smith height not available right now. We will update William Oscar Smith's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
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Dating & Relationship status

He is currently single. He is not dating anyone. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. According to our Database, He has no children.

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William Oscar Smith Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is William Oscar Smith worth at the age of 74 years old? William Oscar Smith’s income source is mostly from being a successful artist. He is from Georgia. We have estimated William Oscar Smith's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
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Source of Income artist

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Timeline

1917

William Oscar Smith (May 2, 1917 – May 31, 1991), was a jazz double bassist and music educator.

Although he never pursued a solo career, and, as a result, is not often remembered by jazz historians, Smith was an important player in early jazz history as a sideman.

W.O. Smith was born in Bartow, Georgia, on May 2, 1917.

When he was six months old, his family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, due to threats his father received from local white supremacists.

Smith spent the remainder of his childhood in Philadelphia, graduating from Benjamin Franklin High School.

1935

He lived in the same neighbourhood as Dizzy Gillespie who moved to Philadelphia in 1935.

1937

Smith and Gillespie started out in music together, playing for the Frankie Fairfax Band until 1937, when Gillespie moved away.

After attending Mastbaum Vocational School of Music and graduating from Lincoln University in 1937, Smith made his way to New York City to enroll at New York University (NYU).

During this period, Smith played with some of the greats of jazz history, including Bessie Smith, Fats Waller, Dizzy Gillespie and Coleman Hawkins.

1939

Most notably, Smith was the bassist on Coleman Hawkins' iconic 1939 recording of "Body and Soul".

The great jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie said of Smith, "Of all the musicians I've had the pleasure of associating with, I can say that Oscar Smith was among the most gifted. His timing and resolution were almost perfect. He helped me discover my own sense of harmony and rhythm."

Gillespie describes him as a sideman extraordinaire.

Smith became a part of jazz history as the bassist on Coleman Hawkins seminal 1939 recording of "Body and Soul".

1942

In June 1942, he received his Bachelor's Degree from NYU.

Smith began graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin and ultimately earned his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa.

During World War II Smith acted as the band director in the Thirty-Seventh Special Services Company, U.S. Army, stationed in Fort Huachucha, Arizona.

Following his military service, he briefly returned to New York, working as a musician.

During this period, Smith began his lifelong career as an educator, teaching at Seward Park High School in New York.

1945

In 1945, Smith moved to Baltimore, where he met and married Catherine Leeds in 1948.

The couple had three children together: Jacqueline, Jay and Joel.

1952

In 1952, the family settled in Nashville, Tennessee, where Smith began his career on the faculty of the Tennessee State University.

1962

In 1962, Smith became the second black member in the history of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, with which he played double bass and viola for seventeen years.

Smith also worked as an adjunct professor at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University.

1984

In 1984 smith opened the W.O. Smith Music School in Nashville with the aim of offering musical instruction to low-income families.

On inception, the school served 45 students, it has since developed into a state-of-the-art facility with over 650 students.

In his memoir, Smith remembered his life as that of "a witness, an anonymous witness. A sideman along for the ride. A witness to the birth and growth of jazz as an American art form. A witness to the unfolding drama of the civil rights movement."

As he put it, "It has been long and interesting gig for me."

1991

After a lengthy struggle with cancer, W.O. Smith died on May 31, 1991, in Nashville.

Shortly before his death, Smith completed his memoir, Sideman: The Long Gig of W.O. Smith, a Memoir which was published posthumously in 1991.

He is buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Nashville.