Remembering the Death of Arthur Smith, the Bluegrass Musician Behind Guitar Boogie and Duel

July 13, 2024

On April 3, 2014, virtuoso bluegrass musician Arthur Smith, well-known as the man behind “Guitar Boogie” and “Feuding Banjos” rechristened as “Dueling Banjos” in the acclaimed film Deliverance, passed away at his home in Charlotte, North Carolina just two days after he celebrated his 93rd birthday. While no official cause of death was provided, according to a report by the Charlotte Observer cited by Billboard, it was due to natural causes.

Born in Clinton, South Carolina, on April 1, 1921, to Clayton Seymour Smith, a cotton mill worker, music teacher, and brass band member father, it wasn’t surprising that Smith leaned toward music. At 11, he was playing cornet with his father’s band. By 14, he already had a radio show stint. At 15, he made his first record with RCA Victor.

But it wasn’t until 1945 that Smith earned his breakthrough hit. It was an instrumental with a deft solo titled “Guitar Boogie” that he recorded with the Rambler Trio while stationed in Washington with the Navy and jokingly called ‘‘the record that launched a million guitar lessons.’’ That is, it didn’t only inspire a country boogie trend but also formed a template for rock n’ roll instrumentals of the coming decades.

Because of its popularity, he also earned it as his moniker to distinguish him from Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith. Three years later, MGM reissued the record, and the song peaked at number 8 on Billboard’s country popularity chart.

Then, in 1955, he recorded “Feuding Banjos,” an interplay of his tenor banjo with Don Reno’s five-string banjo. Like “Guitar Boogie,” this track also became a popular bluegrass tune. A cover version of the song, renamed “Dueling Banjos,” was featured in the 1972 Oscar-nominated film Deliverance starring Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds, but unfortunately, without crediting Smith. The singer sued Warner Brothers and won, earning him a 42-foot yacht and recouping all past and future royalties.

He also penned and collaborated on hundreds of classic songs, many of which were recorded in his studio in Charlotte, including James Brown’s 1965 funk hit “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag.”

In addition to his successful music career, he also went on to host a syndicated TV country variety show, “The Arthur Smith Show,” from 1951 to 1982, featuring the likes of Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison. Prior to that, he hosted another variety show, “Carolina Calling,” on Charlotte’s WBTV station.

Arthur Smith’s death was a sad moment in country music, but his legacy will strongly live on.

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