Buster Smith
Henry Franklin "Buster" Smith (August 24, 1904 – August 10, 1991), also known as Professor Smith, was an American jazz alto saxophonist and mentor to Charlie Parker. Smith was instrumental in instituting the Texas Sax Sound with Count Basie and Lester Young in the 1930s. Smith played saxophone for a number of prominent band leaders including Duke Ellington and Earl Hines as well as vocalist Ella Fitzgerald. He recorded his only album as leader in 1959 and despite intending to record a follow-up, he was injured in an accident and nothing else was released. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Alsdorf (town), Died August 10, 1991 (Dallas (city in the state of Texas, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1929 - 1941
Roles Represented in DAHR: clarinet, alto saxophone, composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BS-047797 | 10-in. | 3/11/1940 | Ride my blues away | Harlan Leonard ; Rockets ; Ernie Williams | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| Columbia | 25023 | 10-in. | 6/30/1939 | Cherry red | Boogie Woogie Boys ; Pete Johnson | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, alto saxophone | |
| Columbia | 25024 | 10-in. | 6/30/1939 | Baby look at you | Boogie Woogie Boys ; Pete Johnson | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, alto saxophone | |
| Columbia | 25025 | 10-in. | 6/30/1939 | Movin' mama blues | Boogie Woogie Boys ; Pete Johnson | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, alto saxophone | |
| Brunswick | KC612 | 10-in. | 11/10/1929 | Blue Devil blues | Original Blue Devils ; Walter Page | Jazz/dance band, with vocal | instrumentalist, clarinet, alto saxophone | |
| Decca | 69557 | 10-in. | 7/23/1941 | I don't want to set the world on fire | Bon Bon and his Buddies | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Decca | 69558 | 10-in. | 7/23/1941 | Blow, Gabriel, blow | Bon Bon and his Buddies | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Decca | 69559 | 10-in. | 7/23/1941 | Sweet Mama, Papa's getting mad | Bon Bon and his Buddies | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Decca | 69560 | 10-in. | 7/23/1941 | All that meat and no potatoes | Bon Bon and his Buddies | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Decca | 69827 | 10-in. | 10/15/1941 | Messy | Boone's Jumping Jacks | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Decca | 69828 | 10-in. | 10/16/1941 | I'm fer it | Boone's Jumping Jacks | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Decca | 69829 | 10-in. | 10/16/1941 | Please be careful | Boone's Jumping Jacks | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Decca | 69830 | 10-in. | 10/16/1941 | Take me back | Boone's Jumping Jacks | instrumentalist, clarinet |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Smith, Buster," accessed January 5, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/209552.
Smith, Buster. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/209552.
"Smith, Buster." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 5 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Buster Smith
Discogs: Buster Smith
Allmusic: Buster Smith
Grove: Buster Smith
IMDb: Buster Smith
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Smith, Buster, 1904-1991 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n91049600
Wikidata: Buster Smith - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1017770
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/79678534
MusicBrainz: Buster Smith - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7c0eaa6d-31c0-4e2a-8a00-6567d4677caa
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1960634 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1960634
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