Hi Mr. Oyong, I wonder who you are and where you are from? Are you a relative of some sort?

: Hi, this is Leon, again. I finally visited Johnny Smith in August, 2001. He was the most genial, kind, gracious person I have ever met; totally unaffected by his accomplishments and genius. He picked me up at the airport, drove me to the motel, picked me up the next day, and we had coffee at his house. We went on a drive through the mountains outside Colorado Springs. The next day we went to Cripple Creek, a gold mining town. We ate dinner both nights at his house, in the company of his sweet wife Sandy. He's quite a cook. He fixed meatballs and spaghetti the first night with his special sauce (he asked me that day if I liked garlic, to which I answered, "you ask that of a New Orleans ("Garlic City") boy?". The meal was phenomenal, as was his and Sandy's company. He was generous to let me "play" (I use quotes because I was so nervous, I could barely get chords out, much less single string stuff) his Gibson JS, the Benedetto, and the Heritage, and he told me some great stories, recollections from his times with Stan Kenton (my favorite bandleader of all time), Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Roy Clark, and others. We established a friendship, and I can't say enough about how wonderful a person he is.

P.S., say a special prayer for Sandy, his wife. She is recovering from an illnes, and without saying much more, I think prayer would be appreciated. She is a very special person, as obviously is he. She's on the prayer list at my church every Sunday. God bless Johnny Smith for everything he has given us poor would-be imitators.