finetune artist: Pine Top Smith

b. 11 January 1904, Troy, Alabama, USA, d. 15 March 1929, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Often considered to be the founder of the boogie-woogie style of piano playing, "Pine Top" Smith was actually a vaudeville performer. From his mid-teens, Smith toured tent shows and theatres as a pianist and dancer. He gradually concentrated on piano and, encouraged by Cow Cow Davenport, made a handful of records. Smith's style was largely in the mould of humorous songs backed up by vigorous two-handed playing. His small list of recordings also included blues, but his fame rests, more than anything, on his recording of "Pine Top's Boogie Woogie" (1928). This song possibly represents the first documented use of the term. His work on the circuits took him all over the south in the company of such artists as Butterbeans And Susie and Ma Rainey, but it was in Chicago that his promising career was cut short when he was accidentally shot by a man named David Bell during a skirmish in a dancehall. He was 25 and left a wife and two children. His work has been covered by many artists over the years, and "Pine Top's Boogie Woogie" remains as satisfying today as it was in 1928 when it made its initial impact.

Listen to Pine Top Smith at Finetune.

Red House
Pinetop's Boogie Woogie
Rocket 88
Smoking Gun
So Many Roads, So Many Trains

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