Cladys Smith, also known as Jabbo Smith, was born on December 24, 1908, in Pembroke, Georgia, and was an American trumpeter. At age six, he learned to play the trumpet and trombone at a Waisenheim in Charleston, South Carolina. By ten, he toured with the Jenkins Orphanage Band. He began his professional career playing with bands in Philadelphia and Atlantic City before moving to Manhattan in 1925. His first recordings were made in 1928, and he played with James P. Johnson's band that same year. In 1929, he made recordings for Brunswick Records with his own group, Jabbo Smith’s Rhythm Aces. He moved to Milwaukee in the 1930s and performed sporadically. His career saw a resurgence in the late 1960s, leading to tours across the United States, Britain, and France. He passed away on January 16, 1991, in New York City.
