Jerome Smith (June 18, 1953 – July 28, 2000) was a guitarist at

TK Records TK Records was an American independent record label founded by record distributor Henry Stone and Steve Alaimo in 1972. and based in Hialeah, Florida. The record label went bankrupt in 1981. "TK" was inspired by the initials of sound engineer Te ...

in Miami, Florida, who was a member of

KC and the Sunshine Band KC and the Sunshine Band is an American disco and funk band that was founded in 1973 in Hialeah, Florida. Their best-known songs include the hits "That's the Way (I Like It)", "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty", "I'm Your Boogie Man", "K ...

from their inception in 1973 until his death in 2000. His rhythm guitar playing was a key part of the band's propulsive

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

sound, first gaining international attention on George McRae's hit recording of "

Rock Your Baby "Rock Your Baby" is the debut single by George McCrae. Written and produced by Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch of KC and the Sunshine Band, "Rock Your Baby" was one of the landmark recordings of early disco music. A massive international ...

" (for T.K.) in 1974. Smith's high-pitched, restless guitar solo on "

Get Down Tonight "Get Down Tonight" is a song released in 1975 on the self-titled album by the disco group KC and the Sunshine Band. The song became widely successful, becoming the first of their five No. 1 hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It also reached th ...

", KC and the Sunshine Band's first US #1 single, resembled the sound of a synthesizer. It was achieved by speeding up the solo guitar track against a normal-speed rhythm guitar track in the studio. With the group he recorded five No. 1 songs, including "

That's the Way (I Like It) "That's the Way (I Like It)" is a song by American disco and funk band KC and the Sunshine Band from their self-titled second studio album (1975). The single became the band's second No. 1 hit in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and it is one of th ...

", "

(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" is a song recorded and released in 1976 by KC and the Sunshine Band for the album '' Part 3''. The song became their third number-one hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, as well as their third number-one on ...

" and "

I'm Your Boogie Man "I'm Your Boogie Man" is a song written and produced by Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch, and performed by Casey's band KC and the Sunshine Band, from their fourth album '' Part 3'' (1976). Background Richard Finch said that the song was writ ...

". He was also sought after as a session guitarist, playing on 10 albums by the disco burlesque artist Blowfly In the 1990s, he contributed to the soundtrack of the television series ''

Melrose Place ''Melrose Place'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex on Melrose Place, in ...

''. He died on July 28, 2000, aged 47, when he was crushed by a bulldozer in Miami where he worked as a construction worker.Other obituaries at

References

External links

Official Website (includes lyrics)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Jerome 1953 births 2000 deaths 20th-century American musicians Accidental deaths in Florida African-American guitarists American disco musicians American funk guitarists American soul guitarists Epic Records artists Grammy Award winners Industrial accident deaths KC and the Sunshine Band members Musicians from Miami Guitarists from Florida American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians