Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith

Arthur Smith (April 1, 1921 – April 3, 2014) The song earned him the moniker Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith (to differentiate him from Tennessee fiddler and 1930s Grand Ole Opry star Fiddlin' Arthur Smith). It was recorded by numerous other musicians, including Tommy Emmanuel, and became known around the world.

Renamed "Guitar Boogie Shuffle", it became a rock and roll hit by Frank Virtue and the Virtues. Virtue served in the Navy with Smith and counted him as a major influence. Other musicians who have been influenced by Smith include Nashville studio ace Hank "Sugarfoot" Garland, Roy Clark, and Glen Campbell. Because he was not credited in the film for the song, Smith sued Warner Brothers, and gained a settlement. Smith asked Warner Bros. to include his name on the official soundtrack listing, but reportedly asked to be omitted from the film credits because he found the film offensive.

Early life

Arthur Smith was born in 1921 in Clinton, South Carolina, the son of Clayton Seymour Smith, a cotton mill worker, and his wife. His father was also a music teacher, and led a brass band in Kershaw, South Carolina. In Charlotte, the show ran on WBTV until April 1, 1971, when it moved to WSOC-TV, with the radio show moving from WBT to WSOC. His band, renamed Arthur Smith & His Crackerjacks, became an institution in the Southeast area through the new medium. They had a daily early-morning variety program, Carolina Calling, which was carried on the CBS-TV network as a summer-replacement during the 1950s. This increased Smith's national visibility. Unusually for a country music band, his band relied on tight arrangements with written "charts" for most of their music.

<blockquote>"He was a good neighbor on radio and TV to so many people," said Tom Hanchett, historian at the Levine Museum of the New South. "He was somebody who came to you every day in your living room or kitchen and felt like a member of the family in a way hard to imagine today. He was from the same mold as Doc Watson and Andy Griffith. He enjoyed the genial tradition of being a Southern gentleman. He relished that." the Stamps, the Statler Brothers, Ricky Van Shelton and many more. A portion of his Crackerjacks group sang and recorded gospel music under the moniker the Crossroads Quartet. Among the members throughout the years were Smith, Tommy Faile, Ray Atkins, Lois Atkins, brother Ralph Smith, and Wayne Haas.

In Charlotte, Smith founded in 1957 the first commercial recording studio in the Southeast. The younger Smith, a noted recording artist, ran Johnny Cash's businesses in the late 1970s. He returned to his family business with his father in 1982. Clay Smith is also an award-winning network television producer and record producer.

Arthur and Clay Smith collaborated on 12 major motion picture soundtracks, including Dark Sunday, Death Driver and Living Legend.

Death

Smith died at his home on April 3, 2014, two days after his 93rd birthday.

Recognition

Awards that Smith received as songwriter and producer:

BMI Song of the Year Award 1973
Grammy - Dueling Banjos (1973) (original writer)
Council on International Nontheatrical Events - Golden Eagle Award (1980)
The Gold Squirrel Award (Grand Prize – First Prize) Festival International Film & Adventura, Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy (1981)
International Real Life Adventure Film Festival, 1st Place Award (1981)
State of North Carolina Order of The Long Leaf Pine (1984)
Southeast Tourism Society Award (1985)
American Advertising Federation Silver Medal Award (1986)
Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) Special Citation of Achievement (over 1 million broadcast performances of original compositions)
The Broadcasters Hall of Fame – North Carolina Association of Broadcasters (1990)
South Carolina Hall of Fame (1998)
North Carolina Folk Heritage Award (1998)
North Carolina Award (2001)
Legends Award – Western Film Festival (2003)
Lifetime Achievement Award - South Carolina Broadcasters Association (2006)
BMI Legendary Songwriter Award (2006)
North Carolina Music Hall of Fame (2010)

Discography

Albums

Specials 1955 (MGM)
Fingers on Fire 1957 (MGM)
Arthur Smith and the Crossroads Quartet 1962 (Starday)
Mister Guitar 1962 (Starday)
Arthur Smith: In Person 1963 (Starday SLP 241)
Goes to Town 1963 (Starday)
Arthur Smith and Voices 1963 (ABC Paramount)
Old Timers of the Grand Ol' Opry 1964 (MGM)
Original Guitar Boogie 1964 (Starday)
Down Home 1964 (Starday)
The Arthur Smith Show 1964 (Dot)
Great Country and Western Hits 1965 (Dot)
Singing on the Mountain 1965 (Dot)
A Tribute to Jim Reeves 1966 (Dot)
Guitar Boogie 1968 (MGM)
The Guitar of Arthur Smith 1968 (Starday)
Arthur Smith 1970 (Monument)
Battling Banjos 1973 (Monument)
The Road That Jesus Walked 1974 (Lamb & Lion)
Guitars Galore 1975 (Monument)
Smith & Son 1975 (Monument MC 6643) - with Clay Smith
Jumpin' Guitar 1985 (MGM)
Arthur Smith, Vol. 1 (Polydor)
The Original Dueling Banjos (CBS/Monument)
Plays Bach, Bacharach, Bluegrass & Boogie (CBS/Monument)

Singles

{| class="wikitable"

! rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Single

! colspan="2"| Chart Positions

! rowspan="2"| Album

! style="width:50px;"| <small>US Country</small>

! style="width:50px;"| <small>CAN Country</small>

| rowspan="2"| 1948

| "Banjo Boogie"

| style="text-align:center;"| 9