- Source: Kester Smith
Kester Winston "Smitty" Smith was an American percussionist. Born in Granada and raised from a young age in Trinidad, he was the drummer for the Taj Mahal Trio and collaborated with jazz, blues and world musicians. He performed with and alongside Taj Mahal for over forty years. He recorded music with Taj Mahal, Geoff Muldaur, Peter Rowan, Cedella Booker, Morgan Freeman, Ellen McIlwaine, Mary Coughlan and Pinetop Perkins.
Selected discography
Taj Mahal, Mo' Roots, Columbia Records, 1974.
Taj Mahalm Music Fuh Ya' (Musica Para Tu)
Taj Mahal, Big Blues: Live at Ronnie Scott, Silverline Records, 1991
Taj Mahal, Mule Bone, Gramavision, 1991
Geoff Muldaur, Secret Handshake, HighTone Records, 1998
Taj Mahal, Sugar Mama Blues, Just a Memory Records, 2004
Taj Mahal, Maestro, Telarc, 2008
Taj Mahal, Swingin' Live at the Church in Tulsa, Lightning Rod Records, 2024
Death
Smith died surrounded by family, in his adopted hometown of St. Helena, California on January 15, 2024.