Diane Watson: “I come to memorialize someone who was not only a constituent but a minister and a friend. The Reverend O.C. Smith was a…”

“I come to memorialize someone who was not only a constituent but a minister and a friend. The Reverend O.C. Smith was a jazz singer, a pop singer and minister. O.C. Smith, a one-time jazz singer in the Count Basie band, found popular success in the late 1960s with songs like ``That's Life'' and the Grammy-Award-winning ``Little Green Apples.'' When we walked into the sanctuary of his church on Sunday, there were big baskets of little green apples that were given out as a souvenir of his life; and little green apples grow into ripe red apples, such a symbol of who he was. Smith officiated at a Thanksgiving service Thursday. I do not know whether he foresaw his immediate demise, but he had all of his children come from around the country. He had asked the Reverend Barbara King to preach for him on Sunday, and she was on her way from San Diego to Los Angeles when she heard about his death. In early 1961, Smith auditioned successfully for the Count Basie band. He was the one who replaced the legendary Joe Williams. After the Count Basie band, Smith worked the club and concert circuit across the country, toured the Far East for several months, and settled in Los Angeles afterwards. Columbia Records soon signed him on and expanded his repertoire. Many Members probably remember the successful ``That's Life'' which Frank Sinatra turned into a golden record years later.…”