Originally from Baltimore, Indy Smith grew up moving between Baltimore, New York City, and St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. She moved back to New York for good in 1984, and in the early 90s attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia performing arts high school in Manhattan. After graduating, she embarked on an acting career, but found herself drawn more and more to the music industry her father was a part of. She got her professional start in music as a background and demo singer for G Street Records and eventually signed her own contract in 1999. At the same time, Indy began a paid internship at legendary hip hop magazine Word Up. She spent five years there before being asked to move from intern to creative editorial direction for Today's Black Woman and later became the editor in chief for Black Celebrity Style, as well as Hair & Braids magazine.
In 2003, Indy took a break from the publishing industry to tour with the Gloria Gaynor Sound Band in Germany, living overseas and achieving a life's dream in the music industry.
After returning to New York in 2007, Indy turned her attention to broadcast radio, and spent time working with some of the biggest names in the industry. She was the creator and host of The Midday Invasion radio show, which generated over a million listeners worldwide on PNCradio.com. After leaving PNC Radio, Indy worked with Lenny Green at 97.8 Kiss FM and continues to work with him on 107.5 WBLS. Today Indy also publishes her own podcast, IndyPendent Lens, and owns Frashon Communications Media in honor of her father Frankie Smith. Her vast life experience has left her with intimate knowledge of how important true authenticity is, and she brings this into her work as a psychologist, author and speaker. Making the choice in 2018 to work on her Ph.D., Indy now uses media to help thousands connect to their most honest self by working through life's trauma to achieve fulfillment in their lives.
The world knew him as Frankie ‘Double Dutch Bus’ Smith but for me, he is and will always be my daddy. I’m truly grateful for the years I had my father, who was my best and loyal friend as well as one of my spiritual teachers. My dad was pure love and I know he is guiding me.
Franklyn Leon “Frankie” Smith (born 1940, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was an American funk musician and R&B/soul songwriter. He was best known for his 1981 single “Double Dutch Bus.” He went to college in Tennessee for elementary education with a minor in music. A nephew of comedian Pigmeat Markham, Smith taught himself to play the piano. After a return to his hometown, he became a staff songwriter for Gamble & Huff‘s Philadelphia International and had his songs recorded by Archie Bell & the Drells, the O’Jays, Billy Paul, and others.
With his 1981 single “Double Dutch Bus,” released by WMOT Records, Smith popularized a nonsensical form of slang in which “iz” is placed in the middle of a word (for example, the word “place” becomes “plizace”) or the last letters of a word are replaced with “-izzle” (ex. “sure” becomes “shizzle”). The style became part of hip-hop slang and was popularized by rappers Snoop Dogg and E-40. It still holds a place in popular slang to this day.
“Double Dutch Bus” itself has been sampled frequently in hip-hop, including Snoop Dogg’s “Snoop Dogg (What’s My Name, Pt. 2)” and Missy Elliott‘s “Gossip Folks,” both produced by Timbaland. “Double Dutch Bus” is also featured in the 2008 Disney movie College Road Trip starring Martin Lawrence and Raven-Symoné.
A native Philadelphian, Smith once applied to be a bus driver for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), which operates Philadelphia’s public transit system, but SEPTA turned him down. The “Transpass” referred to by Smith in “Double Dutch Bus” is an actual monthly fare pass issued by SEPTA. The turndown of the position at SEPTA sparked the legendary song.
When the song took off, Smith made a whole album of kids’ songs called Children of Tomorrow with tracks like “Teeny-Bopper Lady” and “Slang Thang (Slizang Thizang).” He never issued another album but did put out a few more singles, including “Yo-Yo Champ (From Mississippi)” and “Double Dutch II,” both in 1982. In 1993, he got back on board with “The New Double Dutch Bus.”
The record became only the second in history to receive two separate standard-release Gold certifications from the RIAA, and it remains one of the few to earn that distinction.
When Frankie Smith performed “Double Dutch Bus” on American Bandstand, he told Dick Clark: “‘Double Dutch’ is a tribute to all the girls in the world, especially the girls on my block. I’ve been watching them for 25 years. They use their mothers’ clotheslines to play the game – it’s an art. It’s a tribute to them – they’re really good at it.” Frankie was devoted to the Lord and advocated for the safety and care of children. As an only child and the father of only one daughter, he wanted the world to be a better place for children all over the world.