Floyd Smith

Floyd Smith (b. St. Louis, January 25, 1917 - d. Indianapolis, March 25, 1982) -- Guitarist, songwriter, and producer. Floyd Smith played in a number of Midwest-based bands, notably the 12 Clouds of Joy, led by Andy Kirk. It was with that band that Smith played the first bluesy electric guitar solo on a hit song. The track was his own tune called "Floyd's Guitar Blues" of 1939. From the 50s into the 70s, Smith was featured on eight albums, and he was also a sideman with with many well-known jazz figures; they include Dizzy Gillepie, Earl Hines, Mary Lou Williams, Buddy Tate, and Bill Doggett. He performed for many years and recorded prolifically with the Wild Bill Davis Trio. In the 1970s, he produced albums by R & B artists John Edwards and Loleatta Holloway. In 1965, Smith started playing in Indianapolis with bookings at the Hub Bub Club on 13th Street and the Pink Poodle on the South Side. He died in Indy at age sixty-five.