Willie "The Lion" Smith (25 November 1897 - 18 April 1973) was a jazz pianist, one of the masters of the stride style. November 25 is the 329th (in leap years the 330th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1897 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Jazz master Louis Armstrong remains one of the most loved and best known of all jazz musicians. ... A pianist is a person who plays the piano. ... Stride is a type of piano-playing, used primarily in jazz. ...

He was born as William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholoff Smith in Goshen, New York. His father, Frank Bertholoff, was a Jew. By the early 1910s he was playing in New York City and Atlantic City, New Jersey. Goshen, New York is a village and a town in Orange County, New York in the USA. Town of Goshen Village of Goshen This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... // Events and trends The 1910s represent the culmination of European militarism which had its beginings during the second half of the 19th Century. ... NYC and New York, New York redirect here. ... Motto: Nickname: Map of Atlantic City in Atlantic County Founded Incorporated March 1854 County Atlantic County Borough {{{borough}}} Parrish {{{parrish}}} Mayor Bob Levy Area  - Total  - Water 44. ...

Smith served in World War I where he saw action in France, and played drum with the African-American regimental band led by Tim Brymn. Legend has it that his nickname "The Lion" came from his reported bravery while serving as a heavy artillery gunner. He was a decorated veteran. Combatants Entente Powers Central Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties > 5 million military deaths > 3 million military deaths World War I, also known as the First World War and (before 1939) the Great War, the War of the Nations, War to End All Wars was a world conflict... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or black), is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Military Band marching A military band is a group of soldiers assigned to musical duties. ...

He returned to New York City after the war, where he worked for decades, often as a soloist, sometimes in bands and accompanying blues singers such as Mamie Smith. The blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music based on a pentatonic scale and a characteristic twelve-bar chord progression. ... Mamie Smith on the sleeve of volume 1 of the Complete Recorded Works reissue collection Mamie Smith (May 26, 1883 - September 16, 1946) was a vaudeville singer, dancer, pianist and actress, and appeared in several motion pictures late in her career. ...

In the 1940s his music found appreciation with a wider audience, and he toured North America and Europe through 1971. // Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the... World map showing Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ...

His autobiography, "Music on My Mind", was published in 1965. An autobiography (from the Greek auton, self, bios, life and graphein, write) is a biography written by the subject or composed conjointly with a collaborative writer (styled as told to or with). The term dates from the late eighteenth century, but the form is much older. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ...

Willie "The Lion" Smith died in New York City. NYC and New York, New York redirect here. ...

Samples

• Download sample of "Finger Buster" by Willie The Lion Smith, a long-unreleased piano solo from one of the giants of stride