Windrush E. Smith
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help improve this article or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since August 2006. (help, talk) |
Windrush E. Smith is a popular British West Indian comic and TV and radio personality from the West Midlands, England. Smith is one of the country's oldest disc jockeys.
Starting his career on BRMB Radio in Birmingham in 1987, Smith went on to star in his own programme, The Windrush E. Smith Show, for City FM Community Radio. Within a few months, the daily show had achieved cult status.
In 1993, the show's creator (and Smith's nephew), Pogus Caesar, was commissioned to make a one-off pilot programme for Central Television, featuring guests such as Eartha Kitt, Aswad, Mica Paris and The Three Degrees. The programme was a minor success, but was not taken up by the British network.
In 1998, Smith starred in Turtle Island Tales, a children's video featuring the African folklore hero, Anansi the Spider. The video was made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the ship Empire Windrush to Great Britain from the West Indies in 1948.
Smith then appeared in the multicultural show Xpress broadcast by Carlton Television in 1995; the series won the prestigious Prix Circom Regionale.
In 1998, Smith caught the attention of BBC Radio WM and started guesting during their weekend night schedule. He was then offered his own Saturday night show, On De Ray De O, which saw guests such as British musicians Jazzie B, Ruby Turner, Pato Banton and Olympic athlete Derek Redmond reveal their innermost secrets. Regular features such as "The Great Book of Incredible Facts" and "Tickle Your Tootsies" (listeners' love poems) were an instant hit. The radio show was also nominated for the Sony Radio Award.
In 2001, Smith left Radio WM, stating, "As I'm getting older, I want to travel as much as possible."
