ArtistInfo

Leonard B. Smith

cor, *1915
Classical and Brass

Leonard B. Smith (1915-2002) began the study of cornet at the age of 8, studying under Ernest S. Williams and performing in many ensembles. Smith won a scholarship to the New York Military Academy, in whose band he played; he also became a noted performer with the Georges Barrere Little Symphony. He attended summer band camp at the Ernest S. Williams School of Music in Saugerties, NY, where he expanded his musical abilities into the areas of composition, arranging, and conducting. In 1936, when cornetist Del Staigers vacated his position as cornet soloist of the famed The Goldman Band, Williams contacted Edwin Franko Goldman and recommended Leonard B. Smith. As the Goldman Bands season encompassed only the summer months, Smith auditioned for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, winning the principal trumpet position. At the time the Detroit Symphony performed 39 weeks per season on radio broadcasts of the Ford Sunday Evening Hour. During this time Smith played under and became acquainted with many of the leading conductors of the day, including Eugene Ormandy and Fritz Reiner. He continued to play in the summers with Goldman and in winters with the Symphony through 1941. During this time, it was the trumpeting of Leonard B. Smith that opened weekly radio broadcasts of the popular Lone Ranger broadcasts for many years. In 1937 Leonard B. Smith arrived in Detroit from New York City to play with the Detroit Symphony on the Ford Sunday Evening Hour, which was carried by 440 CBS radio stations. A champion of the music of John Philip Sousa, in 1946 he was invited by Detroit Mayor Jeffries to leave the symphony and take over the Detroit Concert Band, which played throughout the summer at Belle Isle.

Genres

• Classical
• Brass
• Pop

Plays With