Ethel Smith

The widely acknowledged "First Lady of the Hammond Organ," Ethel Smith remains best remembered for her recording of the Argentine traditional "Tico-Tico," which sold close to two million copies during the mid-'40s. Born Ethel Goldsmith in Pittsburgh on November 22, 1910, she studied music and linguistics at Carnegie Tech, and upon graduation accepted a job playing piano with a local theater; when a Schubert show passing through the Iron City invited Smith to join their troupe, she soon embarked on a 28-week U.S. tour, eventually landing in California. There she was first asked...