William "Smitty" Smith
| William Smith | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Rock, Soul, Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, Keyboards |
| Years active | 1960s–1980s |
| Associated acts | Motherlode, Diane Brooks & The Soul Searchers, Eric Mercury, Grant Smith & The Power, Blood Sweat & Tears, David Clayton Thomas, Mike Finnigan & The Right Band, David Lindley & El Rayo-X |
William Daniel "Smitty" Smith (August 30, 1944 – November 28, 1997) was a keyboardist and session musician.
He had been playing together with Steve Kennedy, Eric Mercury and Diane Brooks in a Toronto band called the Soul Searchers that was fronted by Mercury and Brooks. After the Soul Searchers broke up, first Kennedy and then Smith joined a group called Grant Smith & The Power. In 1969 Smith and Kennedy, along with Ken Marco and Wayne "Stoney" Stone, formed Motherlode and went on to have a U.S. #18 hit with When I Die. The group broke up in 1970 and Smith fronted a second version of Motherlode that was soon to break up after releasing one single.[1]
Smith became a session musician and played on and contributed background vocals to recordings by artists such as Eric Mercury on his Funky Sounds Nurtured in the Fertile Soil album,[2] Mark Tanner on his No Escape album,[3] Ricky Lee Jones on her Flying Cowboys album,[4] etc. He also released a solo album Smitty[5] which included a song "Sweetie Pie" that he co-wrote with Eric Mercury. In the early 1980s Smith played keyboards and background vocals in Mike Finnigan and The Right Band.
He died in 1997, aged 53, of a heart attack.[6]
Discography
- As leader/co-leader
- As sideman
- 1975: See How The Years Have Gone By – Valdy (A&M Records SP-4538)
- 1976: Some People Can Do What They Like – Robert Palmer (Island Records ILPS 9420)
- 1986: Crossroads – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Ry Cooder (Warner Bros. Records 25399-2)
References
- ↑ Canadian Pop Encyclopedia – Artist: Motherlode
- ↑ it came from canada.com Eric Mercury by Beau
- ↑ geocities.jp THE GREAT GROOVE MASTER JEFF PORCARO SESSION WORLD The Mark Tanner Band / No Escape
- ↑ http://www.rickieleejones.com Rickie Lee Jones The Songs Flying Cowboys
- ↑ Answers.com Album Review: Smitty
- ↑ "Los Angeles Times – William "Smitty" Smith Obituary". LATimes.com. December 11, 1997. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
- ↑ Discogs D. Smith* – A Good Feelin'
- ↑ Livedoor Blog June 21, 2007, William D. Smith