Women of Rock Oral History Project interview with Viola Smith

VIOLA SMITH (née Schmitz; born November 29, 1912) is an American drummer best known for her work in orchestras, swing bands, and popular music from the 1920s until 1975. She was one of the first professional female drummers.

INTERVIEWED BY TANYA PEARSON

FILMED BY SOPHIA CACCIOLA AND MICHAEL J. EPSTEIN

EDITED BY MICHAEL J. EPSTEIN

The Women of Rock Oral History Project is a collection of digital interviews and written transcripts housed at the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College, documenting the lives and careers of women in rock music, focusing primarily on artists who have been left out of the popular rock narrative. The Women of Rock Oral History Project has been made possible, in part, by the Helen Gurley Brown Magic Grant (2016) and the Rebecca Samay Rosenthal Memorial Fellowship (2015). The project is otherwise self-funded and sustained entirely by volunteer labor. This labor includes travel, video recording and editing, transcribing, grant writing, event organization and promotion, and publicity. You can view the list of volunteers here.