Ginger Smock
American violinist, orchestra leader, and TV personality
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Emma Smock (4 June 1920[1]– 13 June 1995[2]), better known as Ginger Smock,[3][4] was a violinist, orchestra leader, and local Los Angeles television personality.[5] She is perhaps best known from her recordings with the Vivien Garry Quintet, though other recordings have surfaced recently.[6] In addition to her work in jazz and rhythm & blues, she performed with the All City Symphony Orchestra of Los Angeles.[7]
4 June 1920
Ginger Smock | |
|---|---|
| Born | Emma Smock 4 June 1920 |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Died | 13 June 1995 (aged 75) |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation | Violinist |
| Instrument | Violin |
Life and career
Born in Chicago, Smock, who was of African American heritage, was orphaned at the age of 6 and grew up in Los Angeles, graduating from Jefferson High School.[2][8] She studied violin privately with Bessie Dones, and at the age of 10 appeared as a soloist at the Hollywood Bowl.[2] She was featured on Clarence Muse's radio program at the age of thirteen performing Edward MacDowell's To a Wild Rose.[2] She earned degrees in music from Los Angeles City College, and the Zoellner Conservatory of Music.[2] At the latter institution she was a pupil of Edith Smith.[2]
During 1944 she was leading a trio, with Nina Russell and Mata Roy.[9] In 1951, she led an all-female sextette, featuring Clora Bryant,[10] on the Chicks and the Fiddle show hosted by Phil Moore[3] that broadcast for six weeks on CBS.[11] In 1952, she was the featured soloist on KTLA's variety show, Dixie Showboat.[3]
On March 31, 1953, Smock recorded as part of a group, with Gerald Wiggins, Freddie Simon, Red Callender, and Rudy Pitts, accompanying the vocalist Cecil "Count" Carter.[12]
Beginning in the mid-1970s, she spent ten years as concertmaster of show orchestras in Las Vegas.[2]
A violin owned by Smock is in the collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.[13]
Recordings
- Ginger Smock: Studio and Demo Recordings 1946-1958 (AB Fable, 2005)