Jimmie Smith was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, and is known as a guitarist and vocalist on the Chicago Blues scene, beginning in 1980, working with Lefty Dizz, Magic Slim, Valerie Wellington and others. In the early 1980s, while working concurrently with Lefty Dizz, he formed Condition Blue, which was made up of members of Chicago's top blues bands. He went on to form and lead Slim Jim and the Fender Benders in the mid-1990s and The Jimmie Smith Blues Band in the late 1990s to the present. Jimmie is known for his high-energy performances, including strolls through the audience while playing wireless electric guitar and interacting with his audience.

Throughout the early 1980s, as a member of Lefty Dizz and Shock Treatment, Jimmie was a regular part of the legendary Blue Monday Blues Jam hosted by Lefty Dizz, beginning every Monday at 5 PM and ending at 2 AM on Tuesday, at Buddy Guy's Checkerboard Lounge on Chicago's South Side. This was the world's premier blues jam session of the late 1970s and early 1980s - a vital period in the evolution of the increasingly powerful, electrified sound of Chicago Blues. It featured the best of Chicago's bluesmen, including Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, James Cotton, Hubert Sumlin and many more, as well as international rock stars, including the Rolling Stones, Lonesome Dave Peverett (Foghat), George Thorogood, Joe Perry (Aerosmith) and others, who would frequently come to jam with the bluesmen whose music was the root of rock 'n' roll. Jimmie shared the stage with most of these musicians, and also was a regular fixture at other well-known Chicago Blues clubs, including B.L.U.E.S. and the Kingston Mines on North Halsted Street, where he was featured, in frequent performances, on Lefty Dizz and Condition Blue shows, and at late-night jam sessions.

In addition to appearing at the best venues in Chicago, Jimmie has performed at Tramps in New York City, Alberts Hall in Toronto, and toured Scandinavia with Lefty Dizz in 1983. Other notable performances include the Mississippi Delta Blues Festival, the 3,447-seat Granada Theater on Chicago's North Side (see Lefty Dizz Music page), and at Chicago Bear and NFL Hall of Fame inductee, Gale Sayers' 40th birthday party. He also has performed for Michael Jordan, sportscaster Ahmad Rashad, Gary Fencik (Chicago Bears) and Pulitzer Prize -winning syndicated newspaper columnist, Mike Royko (Chicago Sun Times and Chicago Tribune).

Jimmie now performs with his band in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, and at summer shows in Chicago.

Contact:

jimmie@jimmiesmith.com

Home                Career                Photos                Store                Links