William (Bill) Smith, 89, a drummer and a singer and a member of Local 802 since 1953, died on Jan. 2, 2024 in Naples, Florida. The cause was Parkinson’s disease, said his wife Dori.

Mr. Smith was born in Jamaica, New York on September 1, 1934. By the age of 4, he already showed an interest in playing drums, a talent that he nurtured all throughout his childhood. His prowess won him a scholarship to Hofstra, but he turned it down in order to tour with the Ralph Flanagan band and begin his professional career. He soon got gigs with top stars, including Tony Pastor, Ray Eberle, Johnny McCormick, Kai Winding, Joe Biviano, Bill Snyder, Mimi Warren, Marian McPartland, Eddie Gomez, Lonnie Donnegan, Dave Grusin, Oscar Peterson, Flip Phillips, Bill Evans, Gerry Mulligan, Errol Garner, Sammy Davis Jr., Robert Clary, Tommy Leonetti, Lou Monti, Dan Daily, Phylis Kirk, Johnny Desmond, Barbra Streisand and Jill Cory. He played drums and sang tenor on two records for Capitol with the John LaSalle Quartet.

In 1965, he was invited to play with the Lee Evans Orchestra at the White House for President Lyndon Johnson. He soon traveled the country with the Lee Evans Trio, playing 350 concerts.

Arriving back in NYC, Mr. Smith’s career continued to flourish. He received an invitation to play at the Copacabana and the Americana’s “Royal Box” venues. He played for Gregory Hines, Charles Aznavour, Mel Torme, Bud and Cece Robinson, Pattie Page, Sylvia Simms, the Four Aces, Roberta Sherwood, Larry Parks, Jane Russel, Betty Garret, Connie Haines, Buddy Rogers, Dodie Fields, Carol Channing, Frankie Avalon, Steve and Eydie Gorme, Buddy Greco, Sergio Franke, Paul Anka, Bobby Rydell, Carol Lawrence, Jerry Vale, Sandler and Young, Georgia Gibbs, Pearl Bailey, Carmen McCrae, Frank Gorshin, Stiller and Meara, Milton Berle, Mort Sahl, Joe E. Lewis, Norm Crosby, Marty Brill, Kaye Stevens, Anita Bryant, the Mills Brothers, the Four Aces, Marlene VerPlanck, and Anna Marie Alberghetti.

He played the Steel Pier in Atlantic City and the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. He appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, Johnny Carson, Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy, Dick Clark, the Today Show, Martin and Lewis Telethons, Merv Griffin, and Mike Wallace.

In 1970, Mr. Smith appeared at the Rivera Hotel in Las Vegas with Engelbert Humperdinck. In 1971, he completed a series for CBS called “Our American Musical Heritage,” tracing American music from its roots to the present day. In 1972, he took part in a concert tour of one-nighters called the “Big Band Cavalcade,” with Margaret Whiting, Freddie Martin, Frankie Carle and Bob Crosby and the Bobcats.

In 1972, Mr. Smith was hired by Tom O’Horgan to play in the on-stage band and perform the role of the policeman in the Broadway show “Lenny” at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

After this whirlwind of a career, Mr. Smith took a break and became a draftsman, designing stores and his future home in Naples, Florida. Once settled in Naples in 1997, he picked up his sticks again and played local gigs, delighting everyone who heard him play, until his long battle with Parkinson’s took over his life. He is greatly missed by his wife Dori, and everyone who knew him.

A celebration of life will be held on March 5, 2024 at 2pm at the Moorings Presbyterian Church, 791 Harbour Drive in Naples, Florida. The family suggests that donations in Mr. Smith’s memory be made to the charity of your choice or to the Parkinson’s Association of SW Florida 2575 Northbrooke Plaza Dr. Naples, FL, 34119.

Obituary submitted by Dori Smith.