Don Smith began playing the trumpet in 1954
as a high-school sophomore. He soon joined the musicians’
union in Lincoln, Ill., and two years later became leader of his
own band. During the ensuing half-century, Smith has mostly stayed
true to his big-band beginnings, with a few forays into rock &
roll and jazz.
“We learned the rock & roll songs
in 1958, when Elvis, Little Willie John, and Gene Vincent were
big,” Smith says. “The Harmony Brothers were doing it,
too, but mostly you could only hear those songs on the
jukebox.”
By the mid-’60s, Smith had ventured
into jazz, but, he recalls, “that was going no place
fast.” He formed his band in 1974 and has worked steadily
ever since.
“The whole secret is having the right
guys at the right spot,” Smith says. “Treat them right,
pay them right — they become just like family.” Some of
the musicians playing with Smith have been with him for nearly 25
years; others come and go as hired hands.
“We do a lot of work with the quartet,
but we can add up to eight pieces for the big-band shows,” he
says. “I’ve got a core group and plenty of other
musicians to call if needed.’ Diversity has been the key to
his success and longevity. “We can do ‘Sweet Home
Chicago,’ then go right into Glenn Miller’s
‘Moonlight Serenade.’ Most of our big-band competition
can’t slam into rock & roll like we do.”
Smith’s group was inducted into the Big
Band Hall of Fame in the mid-’80s, and 2005 marks the
band’s 25th straight year at the Illinois State Fair.
When Smith retired in 1996 from his other job as a chemical-sales rep,
music became his full-time occupation. Never one to lose tempo, the
venerable bandleader averages around 80 dates a year, including cruise
ships, local bars, weddings, anniversaries, and high-school reunions.
After 50 years in the music business, what
strikes him as the best part? “We’ve had a lot of big
experiences and met a lot of nice people who have us back to play
again and again,” he says. “That’s one of the
greatest feelings of being a musician.”
The Don Smith Quartet performs 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 15, at Robbie’s (4 Old State Capitol Plaza,
217-528-1901) and 8-11 p.m. at Norb Andy’s Tabarin (518
Capitol Ave., 217-523-7777).
This article appears in Jul 14-20, 2005.
