Kester Smith

Kester Winston "Smitty" Smith (May 14, 1941 – January 15, 2024) was an American percussionist. Born in Grenada and raised from a young age in Trinidad, he was the drummer for the Taj Mahal Trio and collaborated with jazz, blues and world musicians. He performed with and alongside Taj Mahal for over forty years. He recorded music with Taj Mahal, Geoff Muldaur, Peter Rowan, Cedella Booker, Morgan Freeman, Ellen McIlwaine, Mary Coughlan and Pinetop Perkins.

Selected discography

Taj Mahal, Mo' Roots, Columbia Records, 1974. Taj Mahalm Music Fuh Ya' (Musica Para Tu) Taj Mahal, Big Blues: Live at Ronnie Scott, Silverline Records, 1991 Taj Mahal, Mule Bone, Gramavision, 1991 Geoff Muldaur, Secret Handshake, HighTone Records, 1998 Taj Mahal, Sugar Mama Blues, Just a Memory Records, 2004 Taj Mahal, Maestro, Telarc, 2008 Taj Mahal, Swingin' Live at the Church in Tulsa, Lightning Rod Records, 2024

Death Smith died surrounded by family, in his adopted hometown of St. Helena, California on January 15, 2024.