Rusty Smith

A native of High Point, North Carolina, Rusty Smith earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro alongside a postgraduate certificate in Jazz Studies. He holds a BM in Music Education from Appalachian State University and a Master of Music in trumpet performance from the North Carolina School of the Arts. In addition, he spent two years of intensive studies at the prestigious Indiana University School of Music under the tutelage of master trumpet pedagogue William Adam.

As an educator, Dr. Smith has served on the faculties of Mars Hill College, Pfeiffer University, Guilford Technical Community College, Elon University, Appalachian State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has been called upon as a clinician and adjudicator for state and regional honor bands, recently serving as guest clinician for the Guilford County All-County Jazz Ensemble.

Rusty was the trumpet player for the Louise Mandrell Theater in Pigeon Forge, TN from 1997-2005. Currently he is a charter member of Winston-Salem’s Camel City Jazz Orchestra and frequently travels with the Carolina Horns, backing such groups as Motown legends the Four Tops and the Temptations. In addition he has performed with numerous headline artists including Olivia Newton-John, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Mathis, Franki Valli and the Four Seasons, Ray Charles, Kenny Rogers, the Pointer Sisters, the Spinners, and Clay Aiken.

Over the past several years, Rusty has established himself as one of the “go to” trumpeters in the region’s pit orchestras at venues such as the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, in Greensboro, NC; the Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, NC; and the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, NC. His recent appearances include runs of the national touring companies of Motown, Matilda, Wicked, Mean Girls, Tina, Ain’t Too Proud, MJ: The Musical, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Back To The Future. Upcoming shows include Some Like It Hot, The Wiz, and Suffs. In addition, he was tapped to play lead trumpet for the 2025 Blumey Awards, Blumenthal Arts’ high school musical theater awards program that recognizes and encourages talent among students in the Charlotte region.

Dr. Smith has toured both in the US and abroad with the Ray Charles tribute I Can’t Stop Loving You, the world premier tour of Ziegfeld: a Night At The Follies, The Motown Christmas Spectacular, and The Motown Legends Tour. As the featured soloist with the Spirit of America National Honor Band, he worked with hundreds of high school and college aged students from across the United States, touring Europe and winning first place in the festival division of the World Music Contest in Kekrade, Holland.

A regular in the recording studio, Rusty has recorded with many national and regional artists. For more than 20 years he has been a member of the Excelcia Recording Ensemble (formerly the Trade Winds Ensemble), providing educational reference recordings for hundreds of new works for concert band.  He is the trumpet soloist for GIA Publications’ upcoming text Developing Error Detection Skills in the Wind Band Educator.

Rusty’s solo CD Oceanfront was released in 2002 on the Aural Designs Group label. His television appearances include The Road with the Four Tops (PBS), The Louise Mandrell Celebrity Shoot (TNN), Motown Live with the Four Tops, Gerald Levert and Anastacia, Lee Ann Womac’s Christmas Special (GAC), and most recently Shout Hallelujah by the Firebird Arts Alliance. He can also be seen on the Four Tops 40th Anniversary Special.

Rusty is a current resident of Jamestown, NC where he and his wife Laura are proud pet parents of Evie Wonder, the cutest pup you ever did see.

For more information please visit Dr. Smith’s website at www.rustysmithmusic.com