BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS
Full Name: Sykes Ballew
Description: Band Leader, Guitarist, USA
Instruments: Guitar
Music Styles: Jazz
Location: United States of America
Date Born: 21st January 1902
Location Born: Palestine, Texas, United States of America
Date Died: 12th March 1969
Location Died: TX, United States of America
Cause Of Death: Not known
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BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE
Smith Ballew
An American actor, vocalist, guitarist and Band leader.
Sykes “Smith” Ballew (January 21, 1902 – May 2, 1984) was an American actor, sophisticated singer, orchestra leader, and a western singing star.
Biography
He was born in Palestine, Texas then attended high school in Sherman and college at Austin College and the University of Texas. He began his singing career on the radio, and in the 1930s became one of the earliest of the singing cowboys on the movie screen. He did a series of musical Westerns for Paramount Pictures and one for 20th Century Fox, continuing in supporting roles until the 1950s.
Prior to his singing cowboy career, starting in the late 1920s, he became one of the most recognizable vocalists on hundreds of dance band and jazz records. During this time, Ballew along with Scrappy Lambert, Dick Robertson, and Chick Bullock were the most prolific studio vocalists. He organized his own short-lived band in 1931.
Between 1929 and 1935, he made scores of records issued under his own name for OKeh, the dime store labels (Banner, Domino, Jewel, Regal, Perfect, Oriole as Buddy Blue & His Texans or Jack Blue’s Texans), Columbia, and Crown. Few of these popular records gave any indication of his future Cowboy style.
In his earlier days he was a member of the ’Texajazzers’ and ’Jimmy’s Joys’
Ballew had recorded many songs during his career with a long line of great musicians that he worked with.
1932, put together by Glenn Miller whom Smith Ballew knew well from early Ben Pollack days going back to 1927. This band featured Bunny Berigan on trumpet, and Chummy MacGregor on piano.
The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra took Number One priority, to be overtaken by newcomer Ray Noble who had arrived from England with his Manager/drummer Bill Harty and vocalist Al Bowlly.
Smith Ballew’s Orchestra took third and last position with Glenn Miller’s time management. The final farewell for Smith Ballew as an orchestra leader was at a session for Columbia in April 1935.
The complete Okeh, Columbia and Crown recordings of Smith Ballew and his Orchestra are available on three CDs from Crystal Stream Audio.
This is the first time much of the material has been re-issued. The price of the CD’s is $15.00 Australian plus $5.00 with airfreight and packaging.
All recordings are available at the webdress above at Crystal Stream Audio.
He died in his home state of Texas on May 2, 1984. Smith Ballew was 82 years of age.