Arthur Smith was known for his ‘lightning fingers’

When country music’s Arthur Smith of Charlotte, N.C., recorded “Guitar Boogie” in 1945, he earned the moniker of “The Kid with the Lightning Fingers.” 

This was one of two songs that would be forever linked with Smith, said Paul Wilson of Audiophile Review.

“Smith influenced musicians such Tom Petty, Eric Clapton, Glen Campbell and Roy Clark,” Wilson said, “but his influence was not limited to the United States.”

“In Liverpool, England, a young guitarist played ‘Guitar Boogie’ for a tryout in a new band.” That chap was Paul McCartney, who was auditioning to join the Quarrymen, which became The Beatles.

 

The other song that helped define Arthur Smith’s career was “Feudin’ Banjos,” which Smith wrote in 1955 and recorded with Don Reno.

 

Imagine Smith’s surprise when he heard an arrangement of “Feudin’ Banjos” in the 1972 motion picture “Deliverance.” No one associated with Warner Bros. Pictures in Burbank, Calif., had bothered to ask permission. The plagiarism caused quite a stink within the music industry, and Smith ended up suing the filmmaker for copyright infringement.

The film version of “Dueling Banjos” was arranged and recorded by Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell. Set in rural Georgia, one of the city-dwelling adventurers on a river vacation engages in a musical duel with a backwoods local boy to overshadow the ensuing conflicts that permeate the movie. “Deliverance” was nominated for three Academy Awards including “Best Picture.”

 

Before resorting to court, Smith called Warner Bros. Terence McArdle of The Boston Globe, wrote: “After several phone calls, an attorney for the film company called him back and offered him $15,000.”

“According to his son Clay, Mr. Smith told him: ‘I really appreciate the offer. You might be a good attorney in Los Angeles, but you wouldn’t do too good in Carolina.’’’

The lawsuit lasted two years and cost Smith about $125,000 in legal fees, but he prevailed, McArdle said. When asked how much money he made on the settlement, Smith would point to a picture on display in his office. It was a photograph of a 42-foot yacht.

Smith was awarded songwriting credit on the official soundtrack and back royalties, but he asked Warner Bros. to exclude his name from the film credits because he found the film offensive. The case was viewed as landmark copyright infringement suit.

“A good copyright is really worth something,” he told the Charlotte News and Observer in 1998. “I’ve always said I’d rather have 10 good copyrights than the Empire State Building. I get a nice check every 90 days.”

Arthur Smith actually held about 500 copyrights for compositions spanning more than 50 years in the music business.

 

Some of the artists who have performed Smith’s songs over the years are: Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, Al Hirt, Barbara Mandrell, Willie Nelson, the Gatlin Brothers, Oak Ridge Boys, Roy Orbison, Boots Randolph, George Beverly Shea, the Statler Brothers and Ricky Van Shelton.

 

Smith founded in 1957 Arthur Smith Studios in Charlotte, the first commercial recording operation in the Southeast. Among his clients were Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Pat Boone, Ronnie Milsap, George Hamilton IV, Richard Petty and the Rev. Billy Graham.

 

Perhaps one of the most famous songs to come out of Smith’s studio is James Brown’s “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” in 1965. James Brown and his band reportedly recorded the Grammy-winning song in one hour with only one take.

 

Another song recorded at the studio that has stood the test of time is “Stay,” released in 1960 by the doo-wop vocal group Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs.

 

 

Known for his sense of humor, Arthur Smith had a modest hit in 1963 with his novelty song “Tie My Hunting Dog Down, Jed,” a parody of Australian Rolf Harris’ 1960 hit, “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport.”