Smith Ballew

Born

  • January 21, 1902
  • Palestine, TX

Died

  • May 2, 1984
  • Longview, TX

Real Name

  • Sykes Ballew

Marriages / Children

  • Justine Vera (1924-60)
  • one daughter
  • Mary Ruth Clark (1960-72)

Theme Song

  • Home

Smith Ballew

Though the Smith Ballew Orchestra never set the world on fire it is well remembered today for having more future bandleaders emerge from its ranks than from any other outfit. Glenn Miller, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Babe Russin, Bunny Berigan, Jack Teagarden, and Ray McKinley were all members at one time or another. Ballew himself left the band business early on and is best remembered today as one of Hollywood's first singing cowboys.

Born in Palestine, Texas, Ballew went to high school in Sherman and attended Austin College and the University of Texas, where he organized a jazz combo, called Jimmy's Joys, in the early 1920s. Though he started on the banjo he later emerged as the group's vocalist. In 1925 he formed the Texajazzers, which became popular in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

Ballew moved to Chicago in 1927 and New York the following year, where he sang in the pit band for the Broadway show Good News. Making friends with top musicians he soon became one of the most popular vocalists of his day, working with such bandleaders as Ted Weems, Hal Kemp, Ben Pollack, and Ted Fio Rito. In 1929 he formed his own orchestra and signed with Okeh Records. Glenn Miller later became band manager and arranger, helping to organize the group as well as play trombone. The orchestra broke up in 1934 when Miller and Ray McKinley left to join the Dorsey Brothers.

After the band's demise Ballew continued working as a solo artist. Having previously dubbed for John Wayne in two ''singing cowboy'' Westerns, (Riders of Destiny and The Man from Utah), it was only a matter of time before Hollywood moved the handsome vocalist onto the silver screen himself. Offered the lead opposite Frances Langford in Palm Springs, Ballew moved his family to the West Coast in 1936. He starred in several singing cowboys roles over the next few years.

By the time WWII came around Ballew's film and singing career had begun to wane, and he quit Hollywood to work in the aircraft industry. Though he resumed his film career when the war ended he never found major success. After an uncredited role in the 1951 movie Red Badge of Courage he quit Hollywood for good and moved to Ft. Worth, where he became a manager in the missiles division of an aircraft company. Smith Ballew passed away in 1984.

No recordings by Smith Ballew are commercially available at this time. However, the Australian private label, Crystal Stream Audio, offers four CDs featuring Ballew and His Orchestra.