Hezekiah Leroy Gordon Smith (August 14, 1909 – September 25, 1967), better known as Stuff Smith, was an American jazz violinist. He is well known for the song "If You're a Viper" (the original title was "You'se a Viper").
Smith was, along with Stéphane Grappelli, Michel Warlop, Svend Asmussen, Frans Poptie, Ray Nance, Eddie South, and Joe Venuti, one of jazz music's preeminent violinists of the swing era.
Biography
He was born in Portsmouth, Ohio, United States in 1909, and studied violin with his father.
Smith was critical of the bebop movement, although his own style represented a transition between swing and bebop. He is credited as being the first violinist to use electric amplification techniques on a violin. He was one of the writers of the song "It's Wonderful" (1937), which was often performed by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald throughout their careers. Smith moved to Copenhagen in 1965, and then performed actively in Europe. His later years were littered with health problems and spells in hospital, with his heavy consumption of alcohol resulting in parts of his stomach and liver being removed.