- Born
- Died
- Birth nameViola Clara Schmitz
- Viola Smith was born on November 29, 1912 in Mount Calvary, Wisconsin, USA. She was an actress, known for When Johnny Comes Marching Home (1942), Frances Carroll & 'the Coquettes' (1940) and The Girls in the Band (2011). She died on October 21, 2020 in Costa Mesa, California, USA.
- Drummer
- She was a member of the "Kit Kat Band" featured in the musical "Cabaret," which ran on Broadway from 1966 to 1969 and went on national tour.
- Her father was a cornet player who made all 10 of his children take piano lessons. Viola took up drums to play in the family orchestra because, since she was the sixth child, the other instruments she liked were already taken.
- She was a swing-era musician who was touted as the "fastest girl drummer in the world", and a founding member of the Coquettes, an "all-girl" big band. Led by Frances Carroll, they played at nightclubs and dance halls and appeared in several short movies.
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