G. E. Smith
George Edward Smith (né Haddad; born January 27, 1952) is an American guitarist. Smith was the lead guitarist for the duo Hall & Oates during the band's heyday from 1979 to 1985, playing on several albums and five number one singles. When Hall & Oates took a hiatus in 1985, Smith joined the sketch-comedy show Saturday Night Live, serving as bandleader and co-musical director of the Saturday Night Live Band.[1]
G. E. Smith
George Edward Haddad
January 27, 1952
Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.
- Musician
- songwriter
- Guitar
- lap steel guitar
- bass
1977–present
Smith has recorded and performed with many acclaimed artists, including David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Roger Waters, Tina Turner, Tracy Chapman, Tom Waits and Dan Hartman.[2] He was the initial lead guitarist in Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour band from 1988 to 1990 and also served as musical director and a guitarist of Dylan's The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration at Madison Square Garden in 1992. From 2010 to 2013, Smith was the rhythm, lead and bass guitarist in Roger Waters' The Wall Live tour, one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time.
He received a Grammy Award nomination along with Buddy Guy in 1997 for the album Live! The Real Deal along with the Saturday Night Live Band as well as an Emmy Award for the Saturday Night Live: The 25th Anniversary Special in 2000.[3][2] His albums as a solo artist include In the World (1981), Get a Little (with the Saturday Night Live Band, 1993), Incense, Herbs and Oils (1998) and Stony Hill (2020) with Leroy Bell.
Early life[edit]
Smith was born January 27, 1952, in Scranton, Pennsylvania as George Edward Haddad.[4] His father was Lebanese and his mother was from Ohio.[5] His last name, Haddad, is Arabic for blacksmith.[6] Growing up in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, Smith started playing guitar at the age of 4. In 1959, at the age of 7, he was given a C. F. Martin guitar. On his 11th birthday Smith's mother bought him his first electric guitar, a Fender Esquire,[7] a model that dated to 1952, his birth year. As a teen he was already earning money as a musician, playing in various venues, including resorts and high school dances in the Pocono Mountains in Northeastern Pennsylvania. [5]
Career[edit]
Early career[edit]
In the early 1970s, Smith left Northeastern Pennsylvania for the New Haven, Connecticut area, where he played in a group called The Scratch Band, which also included his future Hall & Oates bandmate Mickey Curry. In late 1977, Smith got his first break when he joined Dan Hartman, releasing his successful album Instant Replay as well as the singles hit "Instant Replay" and fronting as the guitarist in his tour in Europe and the United States. 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 and married shortly afterward, divorcing in 1982.[8] In 1981, Smith released his first solo album, In the World.
Hall & Oates[edit]
From 1979 to 1985, Smith played lead guitar with Daryl Hall and John Oates, a band which also included Tom "T-Bone" Wolk, Charles DeChant and Mickey Curry. With Hall & Oates, Smith scored five U.S. #1 singles, including "Private Eyes", "Kiss on My List", "Maneater", "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)", and "Out of Touch" as well as five consecutive multi-platinum albums: Voices, Private Eyes, H2O, Rock 'n Soul Part 1 and Big Bam Boom. Other U.S. Top 10 singles included "Family Man", "Say It Isn't So", "Did It in a Minute" and "Method of Modern Love".[2]
Saturday Night Live era[edit]
From 1985 to 1995, Smith served as the Saturday Night Live band's bandleader and co-musical director, along with longtime SNL band keyboardist Cheryl Hardwick.[9][10][11] Smith had become acquainted with SNL creator Lorne Michaels through show alumna Gilda Radner, to whom Smith was married from 1980 to 1982. After a five-year absence, Michaels was back at the show's helm for the 1985–1986 season, and hired Smith as part of his retooling. During his tenure on the show, Smith (alongside bandmate T-Bone Wolk) became well-known to television audiences for his emotive performances during "band shots," brief snippets of the band playing before SNL went to commercial break.[12] Smith and Wolk were parodied in this capacity in a 1993 episode of The Simpsons.[13] In addition to his onstage duties, Smith also advised Michaels on which musical acts to book on the show.[9]
In the midst of his SNL tenure, Smith toured with Bob Dylan for the first 281 concerts of the Never Ending Tour from June 1988 until October 1990.[14] He also served as the musical director for special events such as the 1988 Emmy Awards, the 1993 Rhythm and Blues Foundation Awards, Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary Concert at Madison Square Garden as well as acting as the musical director at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert in Cleveland.
Smith was fired from SNL after the disastrous 1994–1995 season, which saw the show's lowest ratings in nineteen years.[15] Smith was part of the same exodus that also saw the dismissal of 12 of the show's 15 cast members.[16] He was replaced as bandleader by saxophonist Lenny Pickett and keyboardist Cheryl Hardwick.[17]
Post-SNL career[edit]
In 1996, Smith received a Grammy nomination for his work with Buddy Guy on the album Live: The Real Deal. Smith released his third solo album, Incense, Herbs and Oils in 1998. Smith served as 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, respectively.
From 2004–2006, Smith performed classic rock songs—as well as his own song, "Brownstown"—at home games for the Cleveland Browns.[18][2]
In 2005, Smith and his band appeared on the Comedy Central Roast of Jeff Foxworthy and did a performance with the band Bama.
Smith toured with Roger Waters during the 2010–2013 tour The Wall Live.[19] On December 12, 2012, he performed with Waters at Madison Square Gardens for The Concert for Sandy Relief.
In August 2012, Smith performed for the Republican Party and Mitt Romney at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa Bay, Florida, as the convention's house band. However, Smith said that he is not a Republican or political and saw the event as "just another job".[20][21][22] In July 2016, Smith again led the house band for candidate Donald Trump at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Ohio.[23]
Smith was one of the many guests appearing on NBC's Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special on February 15, 2015.
Smith has performed with Jim Weider—formerly of the Band and member of the Weight Band—on their Masters of the Telecaster series.[24]
To get a better understanding of what inspires famous musicians and artists from a variety of fields, Smith and his wife Taylor Barton founded Portraits in 2015. Now in its fourth series they have hosted creative legends from Billy Squier to Ethan Hawke and from the Bacon Brothers to the Avett Brothers.[25]
Smith made a cameo appearance in the music video "Sudden Signs of Grace" (2020) by guitarist/songwriter Tom Guerra.[26]
Personal life[edit]
Smith was married to comedian Gilda Radner (1980–1982) and has been married to singer/songwriter Taylor Barton since 1990.[27]