Tab Smith
Tab Smith | |
|---|---|
 Tab Smith in New York between 1946 and 1948 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Talmadge Smith |
| Born | January 11, 1909 Kinston, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | August 19, 1971 (aged 62) St. Louis, Missouri |
| Genres | Swing, rhythm and blues |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Alto saxophone |
| Years active | 1929–early 1960s |
| Labels | United |
Talmadge "Tab" Smith (January 11, 1909 – August 17, 1971),[1] was an American swing and rhythm and blues alto saxophonist. He is best known for the tracks, "Because of You" and "Pretend". He variously worked with Count Basie, the Mills Rhythm Boys and Lucky Millinder.[1]
Biography
Smith was born in Kinston, North Carolina, United States.[1] He joined his first professional band, the Carolina Stompers, in 1929. In the 1930s and 1940s he spent several years in the bands of Lucky Millinder and Count Basie,[2] as well as spending long periods freelancing both as a player and as an arranger. In 1944 he participated in a recording date led by Coleman Hawkins, for which he also arranged the material.[3] After the Second World War he led his own groups, which concentrated on rhythm and blues as jazz turned from swing to bop.
His biggest R&B hit was "Because of You", which reached number 1 on the US Billboard R&B chart, and number 20 on the pop chart, in 1951. "Because of You" was made for United Records, a label for which Smith recorded prolifically until it closed in 1957.[4] Tab Smith put out 24 singles and a 10-inch album for the label. On his United sides, Smith sometimes played tenor saxophone.
During the 1950s, Smith was a significant rival to alto saxophone-playing bandleader Earl Bostic, who recorded for King. He was also in competition with his own formative influence, Johnny Hodges, until Hodges returned to the Duke Ellington band.
His career never recovered from the closure of United Records. After brief stays at Checker and King, Smith retired from the music business in the early 1960s. He sold real estate and played piano part-time in a steakhouse.
He died in St. Louis, Missouri, in August 1971, aged 62.[1]
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Tab Smith among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d "The 1970s". The Dead Rock Stars Club. 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ^ Yanow, Scott (2014). "Tab Smith". Verve Music Group. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ^ "Coleman Hawkins - Recordings 1944". papabecker.com. 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ^ Pruter, Robert; Campbell, Robert L.; Kelly, Tom (August 13, 2013). "The United and States Labels Part I (1951-1953)". Clemson University. Archived from the original on July 31, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ^ Rosen, Jody (June 25, 2019). "Here Are Hundreds More Artists Whose Tapes Were Destroyed in the UMG Fire". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- 1909 births
- 1971 deaths
- People from Kinston, North Carolina
- American jazz alto saxophonists
- American male saxophonists
- American rhythm and blues musicians
- Jazz alto saxophonists
- Count Basie Orchestra members
- United Records artists
- Chess Records artists
- Delmark Records artists
- Manor Records artists
- 20th-century American musicians
- 20th-century saxophonists
- Jazz musicians from North Carolina
- Male jazz musicians
- Mills Blue Rhythm Band members