G. E. Smith
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
George Edward Smith (b. January 27, 1952 in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) was the lead guitarist in the band Hall and Oates and the musical director of Saturday Night Live.
Smith was lead guitarist of Bob Dylan's touring band from June 7, 1988 to October 19, 1990. Smith also served as musical director of the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Celebration Concert at Madison Square Garden on October 16, 1992.
A session player who has performed and recorded with an exceptionally wide spectrum of influential artists, Smith's own albums include In The World (1981), Get A Little (with the Saturday Night Live Band, 1993) and Incense, Herbs and Oils (1998). Smith currently is the bandleader of the musical ensemble called "The G.E. Smith Band" performing at Cleveland Browns home games during breaks in the action. He was married to Gilda Radner (1980–1982) and has been married to Taylor Barton since 1990.
He appeared on Broadway in the Jersey Boys show on Saturday, July 22, 2006.
[edit] Biography
On January 27, 1952 G.E. Smith was born in rural Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
In 1959, at the age of 7, he was given a C. F. Martin guitar.
On his 11th birthday G.E.'s mother bought him his first electric guitar, a Fender Telecaster, a model that dated to 1952, his birth year. By then he was already supporting himself as a musician, playing in numerous situations — such as Poconos resorts, high school dances -- often with musicians more than twice his age.
As a teenager, Smith left the Poconos for the New Haven, Connecticut area, where he played for the legendary Scratch Band.
In late 1977 G.E. got his first break, in the form of Dan Hartman, fresh off his hit "Instant Replay". He hired the guitarist to front his band for a "lip-synch tour" of Europe and the US. Upon his return to the East coast Smith moved to Manhattan and became the guitarist for Gilda Radner's 1979 Broadway show "Gilda Live". Radner and Smith became friends; shortly afterward they got married.
During that period of Smith's he was hired to play lead guitar for Hall & Oates. He stayed for six years (1979-85) constantly touring and recording with them, with songs like "Private Eyes", "Maneater", "Kiss On My List" and others. "It was insanely fun," he recalls. "We were so big that one year, we decided we would perform during summer -- all year 'round! We toured the northern hemisphere in the summer and the southern hemisphere during New York's winter."
Another event was the Live Aid and Farm Aid benefit concerts in early '85. At the Live Aid concert the Hall & Oates band ended up being the house band. G.E. ended up being the de facto music director for a lot of the show, as his band backed Mick Jagger, Tina Turner and others.
When Hall & Oates decided to take a long break from the music scene, Smith was chosen to be musical director for Saturday Night Live. G.E. knew Howard Shore, the show's original musical director, and producer Lorne Michaels, from his relationship with Gilda Radner.
Leading the SNL band for 10 years (1985 - 1995) G.E. won an Emmy. "I definitely grew a lot from playing with those world-class musicians, especially the horn section. I really had to learn to play in time and in tune. It was a great education."
The SNL roster of guest musicians: Eddie Van Halen, Keith Richards, Rickie Lee Jones, Al Green, Bryan Ferry, David Gilmour, Lonnie Mack, Dave Edmunds, Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy, and others. The Buddy Guy visit eventually resulted in the 1996 Grammy-nominated Buddy Guy - Live CD, with G.E. and the SNL band.
SNL also provided Smith with a songwriting opportunity when Mike Myers asked him to help write a tune. "Mike had this bit, called Wayne's World, and he needed a theme song. Aerosmith was the musical guest that week, so Mike and I sat down and wrote a song that Aerosmith could sing and play along with." Wayne's World became a hit film, the soundtrack (and song) a platinum-selling smash hit.
In the midst of his SNL tenure Smith toured for almost four years with Bob Dylan.
During his SNL years Smith was the musical director for special events such as the 1988 Emmy Awards, the 1993 Rhythm and Blues Foundation Awards and the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert at Madison Square Garden. Smith also has written with his friend and fellow musician Jimmy Buffett. "Six String Music" appears on Buffett's album Fruitcakes.
Smith acted as musical director at the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame Museum Concert in Cleveland.
Following his departure from Saturday Night Live in 1995, Smith and his wife, singer/songwriter Taylor Barton created their new label Green Mirror Music.
Smith released his CD, 'Incense Herbs, and Oils' in 1998. Between live dates, he has been the musical director and band leader honoring Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C. . He also led bands for The Muddy Waters Tribute, and the 1998 and 1999 Mark Twain Awards honoring Richard Pryor and Jonathan Winters which aired on PBS, and Comedy Central.
Another highlight of Smith's history was hosting an interactive show on the electric guitar over the internet, on NPR, and a live presentation at for Smithsonian Institute.
1999-2000 brought Smith back to SNL, appearing in the 25th Anniversary show and other guest appearances. He was featured on VH1 in the history of SNL, and hosted the New Year's Eve bash inaugurating the new Rose Center at the Museum of Natural History, (formerly the Haydn Planetarium).
Smith has played with a broad spectrum of artists, from Red Buttons to Allen Ginsberg, from Desmond Child to Bob Dylan.
"I've had an incredible ride in the world of rock 'n' roll and American music," says Smith, looking back over his career.
Smith was played by J.D. Nicholsen in the 2002 TV movie Gilda Radner: It's Always Something.
Smith is a frequent instructor at the Fur Peace Ranch in Ohio.
The song "N.I.M.B.Y.", by the Vandals is centered around Smith.
In January 2007, Fender issued the GE Smith signature Telecaster in honour of Smith's reputation as a modern master of the Telecaster.
