Roger Smith

(banjo, fiddle - 1956-1957)
Brown County Jamboree, 1963. Photo by Jim Peva. Click for full version.

Born: 7/11/1926    Died: 5/22/2013

As a Blue Grass Boy: Roger Smith was hired as a member of the Bean Blossom house band in 1955. Accomplished on fiddle, banjo and guitar, his first show with the Blue Grass Boys was as a guitarist, but he switched instruments with banjoist Joe Stuart midway through the show. From then on he alternated between banjo and fiddle, staying with the band for nearly two years.

Before and After: Smith did not pursue music as a full-time career but has remained active in bluegrass both as a teacher and as a performer, filling in with the Blue Grass Boys on many occasions. As of 1999 he was performing with Talmadge Law and the Bluegrass Sounds.