Albert Abraham "Abe" Smothers was born in Tchula, Mississippi,[1][2] learned to play the guitar at the age of 15, and relocated to Chicago two years later.
[3][4] He soon appeared on stage, playing with Arthur “Big Boy” Spires, Magic Sam, Otis Rush and Lazy Bill Lucas.
[4] Throughout the 1960s Smothers appeared with Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Earl Hooker, and Junior Wells.
The Chicago Blues of Little Smokey Smothers, released by the Dutch label Black Magic.
[9] He appeared in Martin Scorsese's 2003 television series The Blues, which contained excerpts from his live show.
In 2009, Bishop compiled the benefit album Chicago Blues Buddies, incorporating recordings he made with Smothers dating back to 1992.