Artist: Johnny Smith

Johnny Henry Smith II was an American cool jazz and  mainstream jazz guitarist. 

Having become increasingly interested in the jazz bands that he heard on the radio in his youth, Smith gradually moved away from the country music to which he was accustomed towards playing jazz.

After learning to fly from pilots he befriended, Smith enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in the hopes of becoming a military pilot. He was invalidated from the flight programme because of imperfect vision in his left eye. Given a choice between joining the military band and being sent to mechanic's school, Smith opted to join the military band. Smith claimed that they gave him a cornet, an Arban's instructional book, and two weeks to meet the standard, which included being able to read music. Determined not to go to mechanic's school, Smith spent the two weeks practicing the cornet in the latrine, as recommended by the bandleader, and passed the examination. 

An extremely diverse musician, Johnny Smith was equally at home playing in the Birdland jazz club or sight-reading scores in the orchestral pit of the New York Philharmonic. From Schoenberg  to Gershwin to originals, Smith was one of the most versatile guitarists of the 1950s.