Pinetop Smith: Difference between revisions

Smith was born to an African American family in [[Troy, Alabama]] and raised in [[Birmingham, Alabama]].<ref name="Trail"/> He received his nickname as a child from his liking for climbing trees.<ref name="silvester">{{cite book |first=Peter J. |last=Silvester |title=The Story of Boogie-Woogie: A Left Hand Like God |url=https://archive.org/details/storyboogiewoogi00silv |url-access=limited |year=1989 |publisher=[[Scarecrow Press]] |pages=66–73[https://archive.org/details/storyboogiewoogi00silv/page/n80 66]–73 |isbn=978-0810869240}}</ref> In 1920 he moved to [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]],<ref name="edwards">{{cite journal |last=Edwards |first=James |title=Innovators: Pine Top Smith |journal=Western Pennsylvania History |volume=90 |issue=3 |pages=6–7 |publisher=[[Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania]] |date= Fall 2007 |issn=1525-4755}}</ref> where he worked as an entertainer before touring on the [[T. O. B. A.]] [[vaudeville]] circuit, performing as a singer and comedian as well as a pianist. For a time he worked as accompanist for [[blues]] singer [[Ma Rainey]]<ref name="Trail"/> and [[Butterbeans and Susie]].