Joseph C. Smith, a brilliant violinist, put his stamp on dance music towards the end of the ragtime era in 1916. The music scene was undergoing a metamorphosis with the Jazz Age bursting on the scene. Smith however gained extraordinary popularity with very warm and danceable arrangements. His recordings sold very well beginning in 1916. However it was Paul Whiteman's Orchestra that took over the dance music scene in the later part of 1920. Smith's Orchestra did not recover the success it enjoyed for the four years up until 1920. He did continue to record and perform. His last records were made in 1928.