Roy Smeck
[1]Leroy George Alfred "Roy" Smeck (6 February
1900 – 5 April 1994) was an American musician. His Roy Smeck
skill on the banjo, guitar, and ukulele earned him the
nickname "The Wizard of the Strings".[2]
Background
Smeck was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. He started
on the vaudeville circuit. His style was influenced by
Eddie Lang, Ikey Robinson, banjoist Harry Reser,
Johnny Marvin[3] and steel guitarist Sol Hoʻopiʻi.
Smeck could not sing well, so he developed novelty
dances and trick playing to supplement his act.
Vaudeville
Smeck was one of only two vaudeville artists to play
Roy Smeck holding a 4-string banjo, from a
the octachord, an 8-string lap steel guitar. He was
sheet music cover
introduced to the instrument by Sam Moore when he
Background information
played on the bill with Moore and Davis in 1923.[4]
Birth name Leroy George Alfred Smeck
Like so many of the performers during the era, he was Born February 6, 1900
a big fan of the instruments created by the C.F. Martin Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
& Company and used a variety of their instruments.
Died April 5, 1994 (aged 94)
Smeck was unsuccessful in obtaining an endorsement
New York City
deal with Martin, who limited their support to a twenty
percent discount for all performers. As a result, he Genres Country rock · ragtime rock ·
endorsed the Harmony and Gibson guitars and Hawaiian rock
Harmony ukuleles.[5] Smeck was also known for his Occupations Musician
work on the Harmony company's Vita-Uke along with Instruments Lap steel guitar · banjo · ukulele
a number of other versions sold with his signature
Years active 1920s–1950s
across the headstock.[6]
In addition to playing the ukulele with his teeth, he would play it behind his back or even use a violin
bow.[7]
Radio
Smeck 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.[8] 0:00
Notable appearances Roy Smeck in the short film His Pastimes (1926)
On 15 April 1923, Stringed Harmony, a short film
starring Smeck made in the DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process,
premiered at the Rivoli Theater in New York City.
On 6 August 1926, Warner Brothers released Don Juan starring John
Barrymore, the first feature released in the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system.
On the program was a short film, His Pastimes, made in Vitaphone and
starring Smeck, which made him an instant celebrity.
Smeck appeared in the film Club House Party (1932) with singing star Russ
Columbo. He also appeared with Columbo in That Goes Double (1933),
which featured Smeck on a screen divided into four parts, simultaneously 1960s Roy Smeck
Custom Airline
playing steel guitar, tenor banjo, ukulele, and six-string guitar.
Stratotone electric guitar
Smeck played at Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidential inaugural ball in 1933,
George VI's coronation review in 1937, and toured globally. 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.
Inventor and instructor
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. He also wrote instruction/method books and arrangements for the instruments he played.
Later life and recognition
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.
Smeck died in New York City at age 94.
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."[9] He was posthumously
inducted into the National Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame in 2001.
See also
Banjo Hall of Fame Members
Notes
1. "Join Ancestry®" (https://www.ancestry.ca/offers/join?dbid=2451&gsfn&gsln&h=1669897&url
=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ancestry.ca%2Fdiscoveryui-content%2Fsearch%2Fcollections%2
F2451%2Frecords%2F1669897). www.ancestry.ca. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
2. Wood, A. (2015). Ukulele For Dummies (https://books.google.com/books?id=XR-JCgAAQB
AJ&pg=PA256). Wiley. p. 256. ISBN 978-1-119-13599-9. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
3. The Guitar Players One Instrument and Its Masters in American Music by James Sallis,
1982, pg 83
4. Cortese, Vincent (2004). Roy Smeck: The Wizard of the Strings. iUniverse. p. 5.
ISBN 9780595328963.
5. Walsh, Tom (2013). The Martin Ukulele: The Little Instrument That Helped Create a Guitar
Giant. Hal Leonard. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-4768-6879-0.
6. Whitcomb, Ian (2012). Ukulele Heroes: The Golden Age. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard
Publications. p. 129. ISBN 978-1-4584-1654-4.
7. Dixon, Daniel (2011). Ukulele: The World's Friendliest Instrument. Gibbs Smith.
ISBN 9781423603696.
8. Cortese, Vincent (2004). Roy Smeck: The Wizard of the Strings. iUniverse. p. 25.
ISBN 9780595328963.
9. Ukulele Hall of Fame - Roy Smeck (http://www.ukulele.org/?Inductees:1997-1998:Roy_Sme
ck)
External links
Roy Smeck (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0806741/) at IMDb
Roy Smeck (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5663261/) at IMDb as Roy Smeck and His
Aloha Islanders
The Wizard of the Strings (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090332/) at IMDb
Discography (http://ukediner.ukulele.org/roybio.html)
Roy Smeck (https://www.discogs.com/artist/Roy+Smeck) discography at Discogs
Spaceage Pop (http://www.spaceagepop.com/smeck.htm)
Biography and personal memories of Roy Smeck (http://www.andyeastwood.com/roysmeck.
htm)
Roy Smeck recordings (https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104764) at the Discography of
American Historical Recordings.
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