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Jon R Smith
Jon R Smith-saxophonist
For over 50 years, the unique and powerful sound of Jon Smith’s saxophone has been sought out by some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Edgar Winter’s White Trash band, Albert Collins, the Grammy Award-winning group Toto, Boz Scaggs, Philip Glass, Dr. John, Randy Newman, The Rascals, Sarah Vaughan, Johnny Winter, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Doobie Brothers, and European superstar Peter Maffay, just to name a few.
Born in Southern Louisiana, Jon, along with childhood friends Johnny and Edgar Winter and Jerry LaCroix, formed the now legendary Edgar Winter’s White Trash band in the latter part of 1969. Jon’s dominant tenor sax sound and solid horn arrangements played a key role in the overall sound and success of the group.
Some compare Jon’s distinctively rich and powerful and breathy sound to that of Gene Ammons, Plas Johnson and David “Fathead” Newman.
Discography (partial list)
Johnny Winter-“Saints and Sinners”
Edgar Winter-“White Trash”, “Road Work”, “Recycled”
Toto-“IV”
Doobie Brothers-“Long Train Running”, “Toulouse Street”
Sarah Vaughn-“Sings the Beatles”
Randy Newman-“Trouble in Paradise”
Dr. John-“Remedies”
Rascals-“Peaceful World”, “Island of Real”
Rick Derringer-“Rock and Roll Hoochie Coo”
Website: jonrsmith.com
Tags
"I have followed him since he left Edgar Winter's White Trash...I couldn't leave Antones until I knew he had played his last note of the night."-Will Lee/Late Night with David Letterman Band, Musicians Hall of Fame inductee.
"Jon Smith is one of the baddest tenor sax players ever to come out of Texas."-Playboy Magazine.
"Jon Smith plays some of the highest caliber blues to be found...one longtime blues veteran compared his playing to Cannonball Adderly, saying 'Smith is so good, he's almost out of control'."-Austin Cronicle
