by Dan Del Fiorentino

Viola Smith, who delighted us every year by playing her drums on her birthday, passed away today at the age of 107, just 5 weeks shy of her 108th birthday.

The last time I spoke to her she said, “Dan, I was born the year the Titanic sank and yet, I’m still floating!” She was a very special lady who will be missed.

Viola played drums in a number of big bands and small combos during her career in music. She joined Phil Spitalny's all-female orchestra as the drummer and later appeared in such films as 1945's "Here Come the Co-Eds" featuring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. In the 1960s she joined the Kit Kat Band, an orchestra band, for the Broadway musical "Cabaret" and for TV shows such as CBS's "I've Got a Secret." Beginning in the 1940s she appeared in print ads as an endorser of Ludwig Drums (at the time called WFL Drums) and Zildjian. She was interviewed one month before her 100th birthday.

Did you know Louie Bellson said that he began playing the double bass drum only after watching Viola do it?

Here is a segment from her 2012 NAMM Oral History interview:

https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/viola-smith

Also, here is a wonderful article my friend and colleague Elizabeth Dale wrote about Viola, which includes a link to a vintage film with her playing in an all-girl band:

https://www.namm.org/playback/success-stories/namm-oral-history-spotlight-viola-smith

My love and great appreciation is extended to her wonderful friends who cared for Viola in her later years.

Dan