StateLibQld 1 44119 Billo Smith's Dance Band performing at the Trocadero dance hall, Brisbane, ca

Billo Smith is the stage name used by Australian musician and bandleader William David Smith (1897–1973) when he became leader of the Cloudland Dance Band after World War Two. Billo played

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

and

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

Early life

Billo was born in Sydney, one of ten children born to Australian born parents. He lived most of his life in Brisbane, leaving Australia only during World War One, when he served in France as a member of the Australian Light Horse brigade. He was wounded in combat in 1916, suffering a

shrapnel Shrapnel may refer to: Military * Shrapnel shell, explosive artillery munitions, generally for anti-personnel use * Shrapnel (fragment), a hard loose material Popular culture * ''Shrapnel'' (Radical Comics) * ''Shrapnel'', a game by Adam ...

injury to his face, the left side of which was paralysed for the remainder of his life. He was honourably discharged. Smith was married to Agnes "Nessie" Smith (1903–1982) who was also a member of the band as the pianist. They remained married for 45 years and had one son, William James Smith (born 1930) who is a clarinet and saxophone player, and band member throughout the 1950s. Billo Smith's son studied music at the

Sydney Conservatorium The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (formerly the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music and known by the moniker "The Con") is a heritage-listed music school in Macquarie Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the ol ...

; he also adopted the stage name 'Billo'.

Career

Billo led a band at the Trocadero in Brisbane before and during World War Two. Through the 1950s, Smith's band was the main act at the

Cloudland The Cloudland Dance Hall, originally called Luna Park, was a famous entertainment venue located in Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was demolished in 1982 and the site was subsequently developed into an apartment complex. On its ...

Ballroom in Brisbane. He and his band, including Billo junior, played for

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

for her coronation tour of Australia when she and Prince Philip visited Brisbane in 1952."Billo to set Royal Ball Pace".
''The Courier-Mail'' Brisbane, Qld. November 1953(Photo and citation). The Royal Command Performance was held in the theatre of the

Brisbane Town Hall Brisbane Town Hall may refer to: * Brisbane City Hall, the current building in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia * First Brisbane Town Hall The Town of Brisbane was a local government area for Brisbane in Queensland, Australia from 1859 to 1903. ...

. Billo Senior pulled a muscle as he began to conduct the band. Billo also played for the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...

(Later King George VI) in 1927 and the

Duke of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curren ...

on two occasions.

Retirement

The Smiths retired from the band in 1960, and moved from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, firstly owning a block of flats at Kirra Beach, and then a living house on

Razorback Hill The feral pig is a domestic pig which has gone feral, meaning it lives in the wild. They are found mostly in the Americas and Australia. Razorback and wild hog are Americanisms applied to feral pigs or boar-pig hybrids. Definition A feral ...

overlooking Coolangatta (1968 until 1982). Smith remained involved in the Returned and Services League. In retirement Smith seldom played his instrument. He had played for a few balls at the Empire Palais in Tweed Heads. Smith served as secretary of the Tweed Heads branch of the Lions Club. He was also a member of the Masonic Lodge in Brisbane, and later in Tweed Heads."Cloudland: thanks for the memories"
By Lucy Brook ''Behind Ballet''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Billo 1897 births 1993 deaths Australian clarinetists Australian saxophonists Male saxophonists Australian military personnel of World War I Australian Freemasons Musicians from Sydney 20th-century Australian musicians 20th-century saxophonists 20th-century Australian male musicians