Edward Louis Smith, also known as Louis Smith, born on May 20, 1931, in Memphis, Tennessee, was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhorn player, and composer. He began playing trumpet as a teenager, influenced by Fats Navarro, and studied at the University of Michigan, where he played with Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis. In 1954, Smith was drafted into the United States Army but returned to music in 1955, teaching and performing in Atlanta. His first album, Here Comes Louis Smith, was released by Blue Note Records in 1958. After moving back to Ann Arbor, Michigan, he focused on teaching but had a comeback in the late 1970s with SteepleChase Records and released several albums. He passed away on August 20, 2016.
