Walter passed away early Tuesday morning, July 24, 2012.
The family has set a memorial service for Aug. 5, 4-7 p.m., at Washburn-McReavy Funeral Chapel, 5125 W. Broadway Av., Crystal.
StarTribune Obituary
If you would like to get in touch please email Shirley at: BSmith5325@aol.com
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Big Walter Smith in front of 15,000 fans
at the 1999 Bayfront Blues Festival.
Photo copyright ṹ9 by Tom Asp
All rights reserved.
Big Walter Smith has personified the blues in Minneapolis and St. Paul for more than 45 years. His 300-pound presence and velveteen voice have graced almost every blues and R&B stage in the Twin Cities at one time or another, and he has been a mainstay of the popular Bayfront Blues Festival in Duluth since its inaugural year in 1989. He is so popular in Duluth that the mayor proclaimed August 8, 1997, to be "Big Walter Smith Day" in the city."
-Living Blues Magazine