'Whispering' Jack Smith

Born

1896-05-29

Died

1950-05-13

Birthplace

New York City, New York, USA

Biography

His distinctive "whispering" vocal delivery, for which he became famous, was caused when he fell victim to a poison gas attack during World War I. His voice never fully recovered and, unable to sing at full volume, he instead learned to make the best use of early microphone technology to record his soft vocal style.