| Fred "Sonic" Smith | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Frederick Dewey Smith |
| Born | September 13, 1949 West Virginia |
| Died | November 4, 1994 (aged 45) Detroit, Michigan, USA |
| Genres | Garage rock, hard rock, psychedelic rock, protopunk |
| Occupations | Guitarist, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1964–1988 |
| Labels | Rhino, Elektra |
| Associated acts | MC5, Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Patti Smith |
| Website | SonicsRendezvousBand.net |
Fred "Sonic" Smith, born Frederick Dewey Smith (September 13, 1949 West Virginia[1] – November 4, 1994) was an American guitarist, best known as a member of the band MC5.[2] He later went on to form Sonic's Rendezvous Band, which released one single, "City Slang", during Smith's lifetime.[3]
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Smith was playing a gig in which his band was opening for singer and poet Patti Smith.[4] Patti Smith's guitarist, Lenny Kaye, introduced Fred and Patti before the show and the two were married in 1980.[4] Fred served as inspiration for Patti Smith who wrote to him, among other tributes, a song called "Frederick".[4] He and Smith collaborated on her 1988 album Dream of Life.
Smith died in 1994; the apparent cause was heart failure.[2] Smith's 1996 album Gone Again features a tribute to her late husband.
The Smiths had a son, Jackson (born 1982), and a daughter, Jesse (born 1987).
In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Smith number ninety-three in its list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.[5] The band Sonic Youth took its name from Smith's nickname.