Background
Smith was born in Fort Gaines, Georgia.
Smith was born in Fort Gaines, Georgia.
She was not well known in the United States but had a cult following in Europe. Smith then launched a solo career, performing with the New York Jazz Repertory Orchestra, Tyree Glenn (1973), Yank Lawson (1987), and the World"s Greatest Jazz Band, in addition to recording numerous solo albums. She starred in the Broadway musical Black and Blue from 1989 to 1991.
The liner notes to the Civil Defense reissue of Only You Can Do lieutenant feature laudatory remarks from jazz critics Rex Reed, Leonard Feather, Richard Sudhalter, and John South. Wilson.
The album, produced by Ben Arrigo for GPRT Records, features the compositions of Gladys Shelley.
She was a member of a church choir that performed at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival.