Jimmie Smith

Who is Jimmie Smith?

James Howard "Jimmie" Smith is an American jazz drummer.

Smith studied at the Al Germansky School for Drummers in his home town of Newark, New Jersey from 1951–54, then attended the Juilliard School in 1959-60. He began his professional career in New York around this time. In the 1960s he played with Jimmy Forrest, Larry Young, Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross, Pony Poindexter, Jimmy Witherspoon, Gildo Mahones, Jimmy McGriff, and Groove Holmes.

From 1967 to 1974 he played with Erroll Garner before moving to California around 1975. He then played with:

Benny Carter

Sonny Criss

Bill Henderson,

Hank Jones,

Ernestine Anderson,

Plas Johnson,

Phineas Newborn

Harry Edison,

Lorez Alexandria,

Tommy Flanagan,

Terry Gibbs,

Bob Cooper,

Marshall Royal,

Great Guitars,

Barney Kessel,

Herb Ellis,

Buddy DeFranco,

Al Cohn,

Red Holloway, and

Dave McKenna.

He toured Japan with Jimmy Smith and Kenny Burrell in 1993.