Biography
Lavay Smith, the Bay Area swing diva, weaves blues, New Orleans R&B, salsa, jump blues, and bebop throughout the two albums she made with her band the Red Hot Skillet Lickers: One Hour Mama and Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing!!!. Her vocal career launched in 1988 inside the L.A. trio Bogrumpus, whose pianist and arranger was Chris Siebert. The following year Smith and Siebert relocated to San Francisco and began assembling the Skillet Lickers’ personnel, which comprises tenorist Robert Stewart, a Wynton Marsalis protege, altoist Bill Stewart, upright bassist Nathan Bing, drummer Sly Randolph, guitarist Charlie Siebert, and bass trombonist Larry Leight. Steady touring throughout the US and Europe preceded the 1996 recording of One Hour Mama. Both the album and the band’s live shows drew praise from The San Francisco Chronicle, Downbeat, Jazziz, Blues Revue, and Los Angeles Magazine. After further road work and appearances at blues and jazz festivals, Lavay Smith & The Red Hot Skillet Lickers issued their second album, Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing!, in spring 2000 on San Francisco’s Fat Note Records.