About the author
Will Smith Sr. and Tony Smith met in 2005 while in the preparatory stages of recording a second CD under the PTME label. PTME, Philly Through My Ear, was founded by Will Smith Sr. Tony was working as a trumpet player on the album, and following the recording, Tony made frequent trips to Will’s house to pick up CDs. Occasionally, he would also partake in a short game of pool. As the pool games became longer and more frequent, Will and Tony begin to share their life experiences. Will spoke of growing up as an only child in North Philly, founding and running an ice business, his world famous son, and his desire to enhance his computer and guitar skills, as well as becoming better versed in film and music production. Tony shared of his life growing up in the east side of Wilmington, Delaware with seven siblings, learning to play the trumpet, attending college and graduate school, becoming a high school Vice Principal by day and jazz musician by night.
What brought about the most laughter was the many characters Will and Tony encountered upon their journeys through life. Will spoke of his diverse group of friends, the ice house workers, and the many musicians he knew. Tony spoke of the many personalities in one family that comes with having seven brothers and his encounters as a teenage musician. Somewhere, amongst the conversations, the seed was planted for a book and movie.
Tony and Will drew upon the people they knew for inspiration – their friends, fellow musicians, wives of musicians, jazz club patrons, club owners, bartenders and store owners. Will did extensive research about storytelling and the art of theme and character. There were numerous rounds of reading, re-reading, restructuring, editing and revisions. Finally, The WayMor took shape into a book…and, at the same time, The WayMor took on a life of its own.