Smith was born May 14, 1934, in
Chicago, Illinois, to a musical family. His father played saxophone and clarinet with
Noble Sissle and
Jimmie Noone, and his mother was a harpist and pianist. At the age of four, Smith studied clarinet with his father. He graduated from the
University of Illinois in 1957, then received a master's degree in percussion from the
Manhattan School of Music in 1958. He found work in
Broadway pit bands in 1958, and also played with
Gil Evans that year. In 1961, he co-founded the Composers Workshop Ensemble. In the 1960s, Smith accompanied
Aretha Franklin,
Nina Simone,
Lloyd Price, and
Nat King Cole; he worked with
Sam Rivers from 1964–1976 and with Gil Evans again from 1968 to 1976. In 1969, he played with
Janis Joplin and in 1971 with
King Curtis and
Tony Williams. He was also a founding member of
Max Roach's percussion ensemble,
M'Boom, in 1970. In the 1970s and 1980s, Smith had a loft called Studio Wis that acted as a performing and recording space for many young New York jazz musicians, such as
Wadada Leo Smith and
Oliver Lake. Through the 1970s, Smith played with
Andrew White,
Julius Hemphill,
Muhal Richard Abrams,
Nancy Wilson,
Quincy Jones,
Count Basie, and
Carmen McRae. Other credits include extensive work with rock and pop musicians and time spent with
Anthony Braxton,
Charles Mingus,
Henry Threadgill,
Van Morrison, and
Joe Zawinul. He continued to work on Broadway into the 1990s, and has performed with a number of classical ensembles. Smith taught in the New York City public school system from 1958 to 1968, at Third Street Settlement from 1960 to 1967, at
Adelphi University in 1970–1971, and at
SUNY-Old Westbury from 1971. ==Discography==