Johnny Smith

Johnny Henry Smith II (June 25, 1922 – June 11, 2013) was an American cool jazz and mainstream jazz guitarist. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Smith's family moved during the Great Depression and settled in Portland, Maine. He taught himself to play guitar and at thirteen, began teaching others. Smith joined Uncle Lem and the Mountain Boys, a local hillbilly band, and dropped out of high school to pursue his music career. He gained recognition for writing the song 'Walk, Don't Run' in 1954. In 1984, Smith was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.