Leroy Smeck (6 February 1900 – 5 April 1994) was an American musician. His skill on the banjo, guitar, and ukulele earned him the nickname "The Wizard of the Strings".
Born in Reading, Pennsylvania, Smeck started on the vaudeville circuit. His style was influenced by Eddie Lang, Ikey Robinson, banjoist Harry Reser, Johnny Marvin and steel guitarist Sol
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Hoopii. Smeck could not sing well, so he developed novelty dances and trick playing to supplement his act.
He was one of only two vaudeville artists to play the octachord, an 8-string lap steel guitar. He was introduced to the instrument by Sam Moore when he played on the bill with Moore and Davis in 1923. His 1928 recording of Sam Moore's "Laughing Rag" played on the octachord is considered a classic of slide guitar.
Roy was not a vocalist; to compensate he developed a large number of novelty items for his act. In addition to playing the ukulele with his teeth, he would play it behind his back or even use a violin bow. He was an early radio performer, putting together acts for appearances across the country. Almost all of them had his name in the band title, including The Roy Smeck Trio, The Roy Smeck Quartet, Roy Smeck and his Vita Trio, Roy Smeck's Novelty Orchestra and Roy Smeck and His Music Men.In 1926 he appeared in one of the first sound films ever made by Warner Brothers/Vitaphone. The first nationally promoted Vitaphone talking picture was "Don Juan," starring John Barrymore, and the production was accompanied by other short entertaining video pieces including one entitled "His Pastimes" featuring Smeck. The "Pastimes" piece made him an
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instant celebrity and was the beginning of six decades of accomplishments on the banjo, guitar, steel guitar and uke.
Roy played at Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidential inaugural ball in 1933, George VI's coronation review in 1937, and toured globally and played in Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Japan, Iceland, Greenland, Alaska, Canada, Puerto Rico, Korea and, of course, Hawaii. He appeared on television on variety shows hosted by Ed Sullivan, Steve Allen, and Jack Paar. From 1943 to 1945, he headlined a USO show that toured veteran hospitals in the United States in a show that featured the Meri-Maids, starring Marjorie Lynn, a Chicago native, of National Barn Dance fame.
Smeck designed and endorsed the Vita-Uke and other stringed instruments marketed by the Harmony Company of Chicago. He made over 500 recordings for various companies, including Edison Records, Victor Talking Machine Company, Columbia Records, Decca Records, Crown Records, RCA Records and others.
Smeck believed in educating as much as entertaining. He published numerous books of musical instruction, including a series with Mel Bay, and he stayed active as a teacher right up to the time of his death. Several generations of ukulele and banjo players credit him as an inspiration and mentor. When he was touring, he often put on workshops, appeared free at music stores, or held talent contests for local players. Over the course of his career, his name became better known among musicians than average listeners.A documentary by Alan Edelstein and Peter Friedman, The Wizard of the Strings (1985), was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary and won an award at the Student Academy Awards.
Although his performing and teaching schedule slowed down in his last two decades, he never retired. He died in 1994 at Roosevelt Hospital, he was 94 and living in Manhattan.
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In 1998, he was inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame. His citation read, in part, "The 'Wizard of the Strings' captured the hearts and minds of audiences for more than six decades." He was posthumously inducted into the National Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame in 2001.
In 1998, he was inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame. His citation read, in part, "The 'Wizard of the Strings' captured the hearts and minds of audiences for more than six decades." He was posthumously inducted into the National Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame in 2001.
(Edited from Wikipedia, Ukelele.org & Space Age Pop)