Boogie Down (Me): Guitar Boogie (#12)

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Wow, am I up early! Yes, my niece and I are meeting up to go to the Cincinnati Museum. Just because I’ll be busy all day doesn’t mean you’re going to be deprived of a “boogie” song, though. Sorry. Here’s today’s song from my list of picks. #12: Guitar Boogie - Arthur Smith This is why they call this particular Arthur Smith Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith. And yes, there were enough of them to need a program. Remember what I said about the name Jackson the other day? Here you have not only the most popular surname in America but one of three country musicians named Arthur! The other two were “Fiddlin’” Arthur Smith (guess what he did? ) and singer/songwriter Arthur Q. Smith (whose birth name was James Pritchett). Get your programs here, can’t tell one Arthur Smith from the other without a program! (There was also an Australian violin maker named Arthur E. Smith, just to keep things confused. ) This Arthur Smith you know of. No, not by name, but I guaran-dang-tee you that you know one song that he wrote. He wrote a little ditty in 1955 called “Feudin’ Banjos,” which Smith recorded with Don Reno (remember his name? He was the father of “Boogie Grass Band” writer Ronnie Reno.) In 1972 that song became a monumental hit as “Dueling Banjos,” used in the film Deliverance. Smith was initially not credited as the writer of the song, so he had to sue. And, as a humorous post-script, he insisted that his name be kept OUT of the movie (after he’d won the lawsuit to be recognized as the writer)…because he was appalled by the movie. This is his other best-known song, so famous that it gave him his nickname. This was released in 1945, and you can hear the influence that it had on rock and roll. It was copied and re-recorded under the name “Guitar Boogie Shuffle” in the 50s. Arthur Smith died at the age of 93 in 2014, leaving behind two very well-known instrumentals. Guitar Boogie Written by Arthur Smith Recorded by The Rambler Trio Featuring Arthur Smith Released as a single, 1945 Oh, and Don Reno played guitar on this recording!