In Memoriam: Charlie Smith

A confession: I rarely read the obituaries. I did not know that Charlie Smith died till I read the following in The Herald Bulletin:

Anderson guitarist to be memorialized at Jazz Kitchen tribute Sunday.

"A tribute to Anderson jazz guitarist Charles “Charlie” Smith will be held Sunday at The Jazz Kitchen in Indianapolis."

Smith, who recorded with his Charlie Smith Project and with the Bob and Tom Band, died Feb. 8 at the age of 52 in his Anderson home from a massive heart attack.

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The tribute will be from 3 to 6 p.m. at The Jazz Kitchen, 5377 N. College Ave. Audience members are encouraged to bring a covered dish.

Smith is survived by his wife, Kim, and two children, Karli and Jordan Smith. A trust fund has been established in the names of the children through the Robert D. Loose Funeral Home & Crematory, South Chapel, 200 W. 53rd St.

I first saw Charlie Smith play with the last version of The Faith Band. He must have been 27 -28 years old. We knew each other well enough to nod when we saw one another in public. He was a great player and a good guy.