Background
Smith grew up in Mount Calvary, Wisconsin.
Smith grew up in Mount Calvary, Wisconsin.
She was one of the first professional female drummers. She had eight sisters. Her parents operated a concert hall in Mount Calvary.
Smith celebrated her 100th birthday on November 29, 2012.
In the 1920s and 1930s Smith played in the Schmitz Sisters Family Orchestra that her father founded in Wisconsin. Smith joined Philosophy Spitalny"s Hour of Charm, a commercially-successful all-girl orchestra, in 1942.
She played with the Kit Kat Band, which was part of the original 1960"s Broadway production of Cabaret. Allegro Magazine Volume 113 Number November 10, 2013 featured Viola in an article A Century of Swing "Never lose your groove!" I"ve Got a Secret (Columbia Broadcasting System) The Editor Sullivan Show, (Five different times) (Columbia Broadcasting System) Cabaret.