Born Henry Smith on August 24, 1904 in Alsdorf, Texas, the jazz alto saxophonist
is better known by his nickname Buster Smith. Also referred to as Professor
Smith, he was mentor to future jazz legend Charlie Parker. Smith played with
artists such as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Earl Hines. Smith’s
earliest musical influences were his parents, who played guitar. By the time he
was four, he was playing the organ. In 1919, he purchased a clarinet and spent
the next three years learning to play other instruments as well. In 1922, his
family relocated to Dallas, where he began...