Meet E. Walter Smith | Singer/Songwriter, Entertainer, Speaker, Actor

We had the good fortune of connecting with E. Walter Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi E. Walter, why did you pursue a creative career?
My parents met at Karamu House, one of the oldest Black theater companies in America. https://karamuhouse.org/ Notables of Karamu House not only include playwright, Langston Hughes, but also authors Zora Neale Hurston and Lorraine Hansberry. Other Karamu House alumni that have distinguished themselves on stage and screen include Ruby Dee, Robert Guillaume, Ron O’Neal, Bill Cobbs, Ivan Dixon, Minnie Gentry and more recently, James Pickens (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Imani Hakim (“Everybody Hates Chris”), Debra Byrd (vocal coach and arranger for “American Idol” and “Canadian Idol”).

My mother’s father was a Golden Gloves champion, and known as Cleveland, Ohio’s “Nat King Cole” until my grandmother made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. (“Ocie, you are a married man with four children. It’s either us or the nightclub. Period.” Yeah, Grandma Stokes had a way with words! lol) My dad’s father was a tap dancer known as Cleveland’s “Snake Hips.” He would open for many of the national acts that came to Cleveland in the 1940’s and ‘50’s.

So, as you can see, I was kinda born into “having” to pursue a career in the arts!

However, when my voice changed at ten years old, my third-grade music teacher didn’t allow me to sing in class or in the school choir. She said that my voice was too low and that I should just mouth the words as the others sang the song. At the time it didn’t bother me. So, I started playing clarinet and then bass guitar. By the time I got to high school I was an all-American basketball player, and the bass player in a rock ‘n ‘roll band named ATTIC. It wasn’t until the Spring of 1981 when I heard Larry Graham’s “One In A Million” that the idea of really pursuing a career in the arts started. I could sing that song effortlessly. It was senior year at Shaker Heights High School, and I was looking at all the options that life was presenting.

Suddenly, I felt like I had a new tool in my toolbox! I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it, but I knew my future was going to be interesting.

After attending Case Western Reserve University for my freshman year, I transferred to University of Akron and joined the gospel choir. As a cradle Catholic, the whole gospel choir experience was amazing. For starters, they were EXCITED about the fact that I was a baritone! WHAT?!? So, it was there where I really began to study the greats, remember some of the conversations that went over my head as a youth about how special my voice was, and consider the idea of pursuing a career in the arts.

Now, one thing that was not lost in me while I was growing up was the fact that a lot of the social occasions that we attended celebrated the arts, and ultimately resulted in new deals and opportunities. So, as I honed my craft I worked for IBM, New York Life, and then established The EWS Financial Group www.TheEWSFinancialGroup.com. In fact, when I started at New York Life, the training manager, T.R. Coverson asked me, “What’s your Five-Year Plan?” I proudly told him that I was going to be a singer/songwriter and follow the “Paul McCartney and Wings” model and have eight semis with “E. Walter Smith Across America” spread out on the top of them! He, being the best trainer in the world simply responded, “Great! That means you’ll have a lot of clients that are celebrities and rock stars!”

So, effectively what I’ve done is strategically pursued my entertainment career while also building my financial services practice. I wrote the jingle and am the “spokesperson” for the “Say Goodbye with a Smile” www.SayGoodbyewithaSmile.com campaign, and my song “Little Girl,” is a New York Times’ About.com Top R&B wedding song. www.TheLittleGirlSong.com It has been licensed and used by insurance agencies, social organizations, and Daddy Daughter days and dances all over the world. It’s currently being used as the theme song for my podcast, “The Talk,” where I interview successful fathers and daughters about when they had “the talk” about Insurance, Wealth Building, and Legacy Planning. www.DaddyDaughterDays.net

All in all, pursuing my career in the arts has allowed me to continue to dream and always have reason to be my best self. Staying healthy and rehearsed means that I’m always ready for the next opportunity that comes my way. Hopefully, that’s what Mom and Dad wanted when they decided that having me was a good idea!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
One the things that separate me from many of the other artists is the fact that I’ve continued to pursue my dream. For so many, by the time they are 61 years old like I am they are beginning to slow down and don’t have the interest or energy to take anything they are doing to the next level. I, on the other hand, embrace what Tina Turner’s manager said, about her, “Once a winner, always a threat.”

As a Pop/R&B/Dance vocalist, the music I write expresses the evergreen theme of love and romance. Paraphrasing what Lionel Richie once said, “No matter your race, culture, ethnicity, gender, or economic status, if you are lucky, one day you are going to love somebody. When you find that special person, I’ve got the perfect song for you!”

Staying relevant among all the generations and demographics has been fun. Taking Seniors down memory lane as I sing Nat King Cole songs brings a smile to their faces. Performing my versions of songs by Barry White, Elvis, Queen, and Kenny Loggins while sharing the stage with Grammy winner Ralph Stanley at a bluegrass beach festival in North Carolina added an uncommon diversity to the unexpecting audience.

Wedding Day! is a project that started as a custom song request and turned into a nine-song soundtrack for the most important day in the bride and groom’s life. It covers all the special moments during a wedding ceremony and reception to include three versions (Pop/R&B, Dance/House/Salsa, Southern Soul) of “The Bride Slide” for all the people that love to line dance. https://ewaltersmith.com/wedding-day-soundtrack/

Spoonin’ has served to be the theme song for couple’s “staycations” and date nights at home, while “She’s Like” features a man telling the world about the love of his life and how excited he is for everybody to her. It was written awhile ago, but between the pandemic, touring schedules, and wanting to really take advantage of the new way to market music its final production was delayed. However, I’m very excited to launch the social media campaign because I think we’re going to have a lot of fun creating the content for it! https://ewaltersmith.com/discography/

One of the major challenges I had to overcome was embracing the idea that it was ok not to always use a lot of runs in my songs. So many times, singing a melody that everybody likes to sing, hum, and whistle is what determines if you’ve created “three minutes of magic.” John Beal once said, “E. you don’t have to be a runner. Just stride and glide.” That bit of advice really helped me to find my voice.

The other challenge has been finding the marketing team that can wrap a pretty bow around the E. Walter Smith brand. I bring a lot of diversity to the table, and it takes a special team to be able to create an eco-system that will be able to maximize what I offer. One thing that has become very apparent is that AI is proving to be a marvelous tool to repurpose and introduce timeless content. Since all my songs celebrate timeless themes, I’m seeing new markets and opportunities become available. What makes these times even more exciting is the fact that I ca also perform the songs live…in person…as a real person! Lol
https://ewaltersmith.com/concerts/

As the music industry changes, I’m embracing the importance of niche marketing, and making sure that I’m “findable.” Packaging my songs and content in a way that makes it more than just a song on streaming platforms will prove to be profitable and a way to really engage with my fans for lifelong relationships. More importantly, I’ll not only be building a community, but I’ll also be facilitating the opportunity for the community to engage with one another.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When friends come to town, one of the first places that I take them is to the New Black Wall Street Market in Stonecrest, Georgia. You can see touring stage plays, go to national conferences, buy art from all over the world, have a real live tea party. There are local and national recording artists performing at the Pink Lion Club, as well as Day Parties for Seniors on Wednesday afternoon, car shows, and monthly Salsa parties. Sometimes I’ll even perform at Rubin B’s Variety Show on Friday night where drinks are $5 and the food is good. https://www.newblackwallstreetmarket.com/

Across the street is Privi Stonecrest which offers everything from a bookstore featuring Black authors, coffee and wine, a day spa, an art gallery, an amazing food hall, health and fitness and MMA lessons, a kids petting zoo, networking functions and more! https://www.privistonecrest.com/

The Black Dot Cultural Center is a coffee shop in downtown Lithonia that offers live entertainment, great eats, coffees and juices, and books and writing from Black authors. https://blackdotcc.com/
Those are my favorite hot spots. The rest of time would be spent visiting the “must sees” that everybody wants to go to that those that live here have never experienced! Lol

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My list of “shout outs” must come after I first lift my eyes to Heaven to thank God for blessing me with my parents whom he has brought back home, and the angel that he’s put in my life, Bridget C Lewis that like Dad, prefers life behind the scenes! www.WLSTrainingInc.com

I’ve got to give a special shout out” to my brother, Steve Smith, who with all honestly kept the music alive as we were growing up; my sister Beverly Malone, https://www.backyardbreasties.org/ whose birth inspired a prayer that ultimately turn into one of my most popular songs, “Little Girl.” To Maury Haymore, my friend, first drummer, and person that started the pursuit of the arts with me. To the members of my band, “ATTIC,” (Tim Elliott (RIP), Matt Kursh, Jon Denney, Eric Rosenthal, Steve Wymore) all of whom helped give me a taste of what it meant to be a “rock star!” lol.

I’ll be forever grateful to my college roommate Darryl Blakley who introduced me to Chris Delk and the University of Akron Gospel Choir and never let me quit. It helped to lay the foundation that many vocalists get early in life. Then when I moved to Atlanta, I helped to form The Young Adult Choir at St. Anthony’s with Jeanine Barker, and Alicia, Kelly and Shelly Stewart. Soon after that I was cantor at the AUC Catholic Center with Fr. Ed Branch and amazing pianist Evelyn White. Now I’m at Christ Our Hope with Jack Tilson who gives me a weekly dose of much needed tone, technique and rehearsal that helps to keep me accountable both musically and spiritually.

Mike Ferguson www.OmniSourceEvents.com taught me how to do a “run” just before one of the most important performances of my life and continues to be a resource for industry insights and trending moves. Vickie Gray was my first vocal coach and gave me the foundation for understanding and using my instrument, and an appreciation for all that I could do with it.

Palmer Williams, Jr, (“Floyd” from House of Payne) is the friend that bent completely over backwards to give everything he had to make sure I had the technique, the vocal arrangements, and the backgrounds vocals to “do this thing the right way!” https://www.palmerwilliamsjr.com/ Gary “Little G” Jenkins (Silk) taught me live performance techniques.

Nat George believed enough in me to cast me as “Nat” in “Unforgettable – Nat King Cole/Natalie Cole Story,” where I was blessed to have the life changing experience of spending hours with the music director, Arthur Turner. Larry LaRue’s mixing talent was so extraordinary that he gave life to a dream that I didn’t even know I had, and John Henry “JJonah” Johnson mastered most of my catalog with a commitment that Darryl Swann, another cowriter of mine, teaches as a case study at UCLA.

Michael Gibson https://NormTherapy.com/en/, John Sands www.ShutterSexy.com Marc Parham https://www.MarcParham.com/ , Jeff Bost www.RXRescueRelief.org, Tod S. Rose www.TSRoseEnterprises.com, Don Baughs www.CleverBeeAcademy.com, and RT Stokes https://www.thelovingcreative.com/ have been the friends “in the trenches and behind the scene” that actually show up at the events to take pictures, video, or include me on their radio shows, podcasts, or marketing campaigns.

Venita and Kene Chisholm, Sherry Nelson, Iris Hopgood, Lisa Watkins, of course Latoya Smith https://makeupbyoya.com/, and my barber Boosie Anderson made sure that I was always camera ready.

Jordan and Karren DeBow, Melissa Hunt and Mary Anne Hewett www.fullspectrumdesignfirm.com, Bill Braylark, Tony Barrs https://www.vet22.vet/, Dr. Alice White Bussey, and Tomeka Kimbrough https://www.jtax2m.com/ Dr. Michael “Microwave” Brown, Miguel Wilson https://www.miguelwilson.com/ Dr, Sean Harris https://www.seanjharris.com/ , Dr. Randel Pinkett https://www.randalpinkett.com/, Emerick Peace https://www.homesbyemerick.com/, and Demond Crump https://jewelpads.com/ have all stepped up for me in ways too many to mention.

Jonathan Slocumb has supported my career from providing me with custom suits, marketing and production support for “The Tenderness Campaign,” and arguably the most important performance of my life when I performed at his Christmas Show. @IAmJonathanSlocumb

My cousin, Bob Banks, is a true bass, equity actor and the voice of reason as I pursue my career. He and my parents grew up together, and I think he was a “plant” they used to look out for their son! lol

Reginald “Wizard” Jones, has co-written and/or produced roughly 50% of my catalog, and was one of my early believers along with John Beal, Phil Davis, Jason Sylvain, Tammy Harper, LaVoria Reese, Guy Mitchell, Andre Collins, William Green, The Melchors (Big Tim, Jennifer, Timara “Lady Fay,” and Deja), Dee and Sydney Martinez, David “Sammy Davis, Jr.” Williams, and Tatiana. Glen Perdew has the amazing ability of being able hear the music of my song as I sing it to him. Derwin Daniels and Darian Emory have been the saxophone players on my projects that elevate the richness of my songs.

Bringing over 200 songs in 21 languages, and a lot of love to the table, Donna I. Douglas https://donnadhere.com/ helped me to wrap my arms around the craft of writing timeless songs and a collaboration with Babbie Mason. (Front Row). Allen Johnston is an industry trailblazer that keeps me on the cutting edge of distribution and marketing strategies, and Matt Campbell has introduced me to ways of monetizing my music that is trailblazing the “new norm” of the post pandemic music industry. https://www.myweddingsongs.com/

There would be no look and feel for the “E. Walter Smith” brand if it was not for James M. Bartlett. In so many ways, the concept of all of this starts with him. Tony Jones of DigitalJetstream https://www.digitaljetstream.com/2.0/ and Jenny Watt of Creatively Techy https://creativelytechy.com/ continue to provide my online presence and help me stay connected to my brands and my fans.

Then, of course a HUGE shout out to all my friends and family that are too numerous to mention that are an ongoing source of inspiration.

Website: https://www.EWalterSmith.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ewaltersmith/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ewaltersmith/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ewaltersmithentertainment

Youtube: @EwalterSmithMusic

Image Credits
Rene Carson (Brown Suit w mic)
@hit.pictures on Instagram and @myhitpictures

John Sands of www.ShutterSexy.com
Gray Scarf, Paisley Scarf, Black Tux w Candles