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Willie "The Lion" Smith

AKA William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholof Smith

Born: 25-Nov-1897
Birthplace: Goshen, NY
Died: 18-Apr-1973
Location of death: New York City
Cause of death: unspecified

Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: Black
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Jazz Musician, Pianist

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Stride pianist, Finger Buster

Military service: US Army (350th Field Artillery, WWI)

Father: Frank Bertholoff
Mother: Ida Oliver
Father: John Smith (stepfather after 1901)
Wife: Blanche Merrill ("Blanche Howard", m. circa 1915)

    Willie Smith and His Cubs
    Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame 1987

Author of books:
Music on My Mind (1964, memoir)





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