William Oscar Smith

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. 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 spent the remainder of his childhood in Philadelphia, graduating from Benjamin Franklin High School. He lived in the same neighbourhood as Dizzy Gillespie who moved to Philadelphia in 1935. Smith and Gillespie started out in music together, playing for the Frankie Fairfax Band until 1937, when Gillespie moved away. 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. 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."

Death

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.