Ethel Smith (organist)

Ethel Smith
File:Ethel Smith Billboard.jpg
Born	Ethel Goldsmith (1902-11-22)November 22, 1902 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Years active	c.1925–1993
Spouse(s)	Mr. Spiro (m. <1940) Ralph Bellamy (m. 1945–47)
Children	none
Parent(s)	Elizabeth Bober Max Goldsmith

Ethel Smith (November 22, 1902 – May 10, 1996) was an organist who played primarily in a pop style on the Hammond organ.

Born Ethel Goldsmith, she performed from a fairly young age and traveled widely, learning several languages. She became proficient in Latin music while staying in South America, and it is the style of music with which she is now most associated. She was a guitarist as well as an organist, and in her later years occasionally played the guitar live for audiences, but all her recordings were on the organ.

An attractive woman with a preference for colorful outfits, particularly hats, Smith performed in several Hollywood films. She was married to Hollywood actor Ralph Bellamy from 1945 to 1947, at the height of her fame, and their acrimonious divorce made headlines.

Her recording of "Tico Tico" was her best-known hit. It reached the U.S. pop charts in November 1944, peaked at No. 14 on January 27, 1945, and sold nearly two million copies worldwide. She also performed it in the 1944 film, Bathing Beauty. She died on May 10, 1996.

Selected discography

78s

• Teddy Bear's Picnic/Fiddle-Faddle, Decca 60.298 American Series (very rare)
• Tico Tico, Decca 23353
• Tico Tico/Lere Lero, Decca BM03571 American Series
• White Christmas/Jingle Bells, Decca BM30601 American Series
• Paran pan pin - Cachita/The parrot, Decca BM03632 American Series
• Quizas, quizas, quizas/Made for each other, Decca 60.139 American Series
• Blame it on the samba/The green cockatoo, Decca 60.249 American Series
• Mambo Jambo, Decca 27119
• Monkey on a string, Decca 27183
• I'm walking behind you/April in Portugal, Brunswick 05147
• Ethel's birthday party/The wedding of the painted doll, Decca 60.605

LPs

• Ethel Smith's Hit Party, Decca DL 4803
• Souvenir Album, Decca DL 5016
• Ethel Smith's Cha Cha Cha Album, Decca DL 8164
• Christmas Music, Decca DL 8187
• Galloping Fingers, Decca DL 8456
• Latin From Manhattan, Decca DL 8457
• Miss Smith Goes To Paris, Decca DL 8640
• Dance To The Latin Rhythms Of Ethel Smith, Decca DL 8712
• Waltz With Me, Decca DL 8735
• Lady Fingers, Decca DL 8744
• Bright And Breezy, Decca DL 8799
• Ethel Smith Swings Sweetly, Decca DL 74095
• The Many Moods Of Ethel Smith, Decca DL 74145
• Make Mine Hawaiian, Decca DL 74236
• Lady of Spain, Decca DL 74325
• Rhythm Antics!, Decca DL 74414
• At The End Of A Perfect Day, Decca DL 74467
• Hollywood Favorites, Decca DL 74618
• Ethel Smith's Hit Party, Decca DL 74803
• Seated One Day At The Organ, Decca DL 78902
• Bouquet Of The Blues, Decca DL 78955
• Ethel Smith On Broadway, Decca DL 78993
• Ethel Smith, Vocalion VL 3669
• Organ Holiday, Vocalion VL 73778
• Silent Night—Holy Night, Vocalion VL 73882
• Parade, MCA Coral CB 20021

CDs

• Tico Tico, Living Era AJA-5506 (2004). A compilation of early releases from 1944–1952
• The Fabulous Organ Music of Ethel Smith, MCA MSD-35255 (out of print as of December 2005)
• The First Lady of the Hammond Organ: Plays "Tico Tico" & Other Great Recordings, Jasmine Music (2003). A 2-CD compilation of early recordings

Music books

• The Ethel Smith Hammond Organ Method Book One, Revised Edition, Copyright 1949 and 1964 By Ethel Smith Music Corp. New York, NY. For use on every Hammond Organ including all Spinet Models.

External links

• The Ethel Smith Memorial Home Page