George Edward Smith ('' né'' Haddad; born January 27, 1952) is an American guitarist. Smith was the lead guitarist for the duo

Hall & Oates Daryl Hall and John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, are an American pop rock duo formed in Philadelphia in 1970. Daryl Hall is generally the lead vocalist; John Oates primarily plays electric guitar and provides backing vocals. The two ...

during the band's heyday from 1979 to 1985, playing on five number one singles. After Hall & Oates went into a hiatus in 1985, Smith joined the sketch-comedy show ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'', serving as bandleader and co-musical director of the

Saturday Night Live Band The Saturday Night Live Band (referred to in the closing credits as The Live Band) is the house band of the NBC television program '' Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Role on ''Saturday Night Live'' The band consists of mostly jazz, R&B, a ...

. Smith has recorded and performed with many acclaimed artists, including

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, Roger Waters,

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...

Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. Chapman is best known for her hit singles "Fast Car" and "Give Me One Reason". Chapman was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she released ...

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

and

Dan Hartman Daniel Earl Hartman (December 8, 1950 – March 22, 1994) was an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Among songs he wrote and recorded were " Free Ride" as a member of the Edgar Winter Group, and the solo hits ...

. He was the initial lead guitarist in Bob Dylan's

Never Ending Tour The Never Ending Tour is the popular name for Bob Dylan's ongoing touring schedule which began on June 7, 1988. During the course of the tour, musicians have come and gone as the band has continued to evolve. The tour amassed a huge fan base with ...

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's ''

The Wall Live ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' tour, one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time. He received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

nomination along with

Buddy Guy George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaugh ...

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. 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

Smith was born January 27, 1952, in

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...

as George Edward Haddad. His father was Lebanese and his mother was from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. His last name,

Haddad Haddad (Aramaic: ܚܕܕ or ܚܕܐܕ, ar, حداد, he, חדד;) is a primarily Levantine family name originating in Aramaic. The original Haddad (Aramaic: ܚܕܕ or ܚܕܐܕ) surname means ''blacksmith'' in Semitic languages. It is commonly u ...

, is

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

for

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

. Growing up in

Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania Stroudsburg is a borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. It lies within the Poconos region, approximately five miles (8 km) from the Delaware Water Gap at the confluence of the Brodhead, McMichaels and Pocono Creeks in Northeastern Penns ...

, 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 The Fender Esquire is a solid-body electric guitar manufactured by Fender. The Esquire was the first solid-body guitar sold by Fender, debuting in 1950.. Shortly after its introduction, a two- pickup version was built. It was soon renamed the ''B ...

, a model that dated to 1952, his birth year. As a teen he was already earning money as a musician, playing in numerous venues such as Poconos resorts and high school dances.

Career

Early career

In the early 1970s, Smith left the Poconos for the

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

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

, releasing his successful album ''

Instant Replay Instant replay or action replay is a video reproduction of something that recently occurred which was both shot and broadcast live. The video, having already been shown live, is replayed in order for viewers to see again and analyze what had j ...

'' as well as the singles hit "

" 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 Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

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. In 1981, Smith released his first solo album, ''In the World''.

Hall & Oates

From 1979 to 1985, Smith played lead guitar with

Daryl Hall and John Oates Daryl Hall and John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, are an American pop rock duo formed in Philadelphia in 1970. Daryl Hall is generally the lead vocalist; John Oates primarily plays electric guitar and provides backing vocals. The two ...

, a band which also included

Tom "T-Bone" Wolk Tom "T-Bone" Wolk (December 24, 1951 – February 28, 2010) was an American musician and bassist for the music duo Daryl Hall & John Oates and a member of the ''Saturday Night Live'' house band. Life and career Wolk was born and raised in Y ...

, Charles DeChant and Mickey Curry. With Hall & Oates, Smith scored five U.S. #1 singles, including " Private Eyes", "

Kiss on My List "Kiss on My List" is a song by the American duo Hall & Oates. It was written by Daryl Hall and Janna Allen, and produced by Hall and John Oates. It was the third Single (music), single release from their ninth studio album, ''Voices (Hall & Oate ...

", " Maneater", "

I Can't Go for That (No Can Do) "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" is a song by the American duo Daryl Hall and John Oates. Written by Daryl Hall, John Oates and Sara Allen, the song was released as the second single from their tenth studio album, '' Private Eyes'' (1981). ...

", and " Out of Touch" as well as five consecutive multi-platinum albums: '' Voices'', '' Private Eyes'', ''

H2O Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a s ...

'', ''

Rock 'n Soul Part 1 ''Rock 'n Soul Part 1'' (also titled ''Greatest Hits – Rock 'n Soul Part 1'') is a greatest hits album by American musical duo Hall & Oates, credited as "Daryl Hall John Oates" on the album cover. Released by RCA Records on October 18, 19 ...

'' and ''

Big Bam Boom ''Big Bam Boom'' is the twelfth studio album by American duo Daryl Hall & John Oates, released by RCA Records on October 12, 1984. It marked the end of one of the most successful album runs by a duo of the 1980s. RCA issued a remastered versi ...

.'' Other U.S. Top 10 singles included " Family Man", " Say It Isn't So", " Did It in a Minute" and " Method of Modern Love".

''Saturday Night Live'' era

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. Smith had become acquainted with ''SNL'' creator

Lorne Michaels Lorne Michaels (born Lorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian-American producer, screenwriter, and comedian. He is best known for creating and producing ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1980, 1985–present) and producing the '' La ...

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. Smith and Wolk were parodied in this capacity in a 1993 episode of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...

''. In addition to his onstage duties, Smith also advised Michaels on which musical acts to book on the show. In the midst of his ''SNL'' tenure, Smith toured with

for the first 281 concerts of the

from June 1988 until October 1990. He also served as the musical director for special events such as the 1988 Emmy Awards, the 1993

Rhythm and Blues Foundation The Rhythm and Blues Foundation is an independent American nonprofit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of rhythm and blues music. The idea for the foundation came in 1987 during discussions about royalties with en ...

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 Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. Smith was fired from ''SNL'' after the disastrous 1994–1995 season, which saw the show's lowest ratings in nineteen years. Smith was part of the same exodus that also saw the dismissal of 12 of the show's 15 cast members. He was replaced as bandleader by saxophonist

Lenny Pickett Lenny Pickett (born April 10, 1954) is an American saxophonist and musical director of the ''Saturday Night Live'' band. From 1973 to 1981 he was a member of Tower of Power. He is known for his skill in the altissimo register (executed by using ...

and keyboardist Cheryl Hardwick.

Post-''SNL'' career

In 1996, Smith received a Grammy nomination for his work with

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 Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album '' Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (1 ...

at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C. He also led bands for the

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago ...

Tribute, and the 1998 and 1999 Mark Twain Awards honoring

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...

and

Jonathan Winters Jonathan Harshman Winters III (November 11, 1925 – April 11, 2013) was an American comedian, actor, author, television host, and artist. Beginning in 1960, Winters recorded many classic comedy albums for the Verve Records label. He also h ...

which aired on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

, and

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programmin ...

The Roger Waters Band, Kansas City, 30 October 2010

During 2004–2006, GE headed up

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

home games with his mantra, "Brownstown." In 2005, Smith and his band appeared on the ''

Comedy Central Roast ''Comedy Central Roast'' is a series of celebrity roast specials that air on the American television channel Comedy Central. The first official ''Comedy Central Roast'' premiered on August 10, 2003. On average one or two roasts air every year. T ...

'' of Jeff Foxworthy and did a performance with the band Bama. Smith toured with Roger Waters during the 2010–2013 tour

. 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 The 2012 Republican National Convention was a gathering held by the Republican Party (United States), U.S. Republican Party during which Delegate (American politics), delegates officially nominated former List of governors of Massachusetts, Ma ...

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". In July 2016, Smith again led the house band for candidate

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Ohio. Smith was one of the many guests appearing on the NBC ''Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special'' on February 15, 2015. Smith has performed with

Jim Weider James Jeffrey Weider (born December 21, 1951) is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the Band. He joined the reformed version of the Band in 1985 to replace original guitarist Robbie Robertson. Biography A native of Woodstock, N ...

—formerly of The Band and member of The Weight Band—on their ''Masters of the Telecaster'' series. In 2015, Smith and wife Taylor Barton started ''Portraits'', a project which hosts a rotating roster of acclaimed musicians and artists from all realms for a deeper look at what drives them creatively. Now in its fourth series they have hosted creative legends from Billy Squier to

Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor and film director. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. Hawke has directed three feature films, three off-Broadway plays, and a doc ...

and from the Bacon Brothers to

the Avett Brothers The Avett Brothers are an American folk rock band from Concord, North Carolina. The band is made up of two brothers, Scott Avett (banjo, lead vocals, guitar, piano, kick-drum) and Seth Avett (guitar, lead vocals, piano, hi-hat) along with Bob C ...

. Smith made a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

in the music video "Sudden Signs of Grace" (2020) by guitarist/songwriter Tom Guerra.

Personal life

Smith was married to comedian Gilda Radner (1980–1982) and has been married to singer/songwriter Taylor Barton since 1990.

Discography

;with

(also as arranger) * ''

X-Static ''X-Static'' is the eighth studio album by American pop music duo Daryl Hall & John Oates. The album was released in September 1979, by RCA Records. Buddah Records re-released the album with two bonus tracks in 2000. "Wait for Me" reached numb ...

'' (1979) * '' Voices'' (1980) * '' Private Eyes'' (1981) * ''

'' (1982) * '' Greatest Hits Live'' (1982), released in 2001 * ''

(Compilation)'' (1983) * ''

'' (1984) * ''Sweet Soul Music (Live)'' (1984) * '' Live at the Apollo'' (1985) * ''Ecstasy on the Edge'' (2001) ;with

* ''

'' (1978) * '' Relight My Fire'' (1979) ;with

* '' Downtown Train'' (1985) ;with

* ''

She's The Boss ''She's the Boss'' is the debut solo album by English singer Mick Jagger, released in 1985. When Jagger's group The Rolling Stones signed with Columbia/CBS Records in 1983, one of the options available to them was for individual projects, an ...

'' (1985) *''

Dancing in the Street "Dancing in the Street" is a song written by Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter. It first became popular in 1964 when recorded by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas whose version reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ...

'' w/David Bowie (1985) * '' Primitive Cool'' (1987) * '' The Very Best of Mick Jagger'' (2007) ;with Carly Simon * '' Tired of Being Blonde'' (1985), also producer ;with

Ric Ocasek Richard Theodore Otcasek (March 23, 1944 – September 15, 2019), known as Ric Ocasek, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the primary co-lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the rock ...

* ''

This Side of Paradise ''This Side of Paradise'' is the debut novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, published in 1920. It examines the lives and morality of carefree American youth at the dawn of the Jazz Age. Its protagonist, Amory Blaine, is an attractive ...

'' (1986) ;with

* ''Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration'' (1993), also musical director * ''By the Waterfront Docks'' (1989) (2007) * ''The House of Gold'' (Greece, 1989) (2009) * ''Crossroads w/Eric Clapton'' (1988, 1999) (2012) * ''Carnival to Rio'' (1990) (2012) * ''Mercy for Poughkeepsie'' (1988-1989) (2014) * ''East Troy 1988'' (2015) ;with

* '' Crossroads'' (1989) * ''Greatest Hits'' (2015) ;with Jimmy Buffett * ''Fruitcakes'' (1994) ;with

* ''Live!: The Real Deal'' (with the Saturday Night Live Band, 1996), received Grammy nomination * '' Buddy's Baddest: The Best of Buddy Guy'' (1999) * ''Can't Quit the Blues'' (2006) * ''The Definite Buddy Guy'' (2009) ;with

Moonalice Moonalice is an American rock band, formed from previous members of the Flying Other Brothers. The band has been touring since May 2007, and has come to the attention of music critics. The band is currently made up of ten musicians, and led by ...

* ''Compliments from Moonalice'' (2007) * ''Moonalice'' (2008) * ''The Jewish Mother, Virginia Beach, VA'' (2008) ;with Roger Waters * '' Roger Waters: The Wall'' (Live Album) (2010-2013)'','' released 2015 ;with

* ''Loving the Alien (1983-1988)'' (2018) ;Solo Albums * ''In the World'' (1981) * ''Get a Little'' (with the Saturday Night Live Band, 1993) * ''Incense, Herbs and Oils'' (1998) * ''Stony Hill'' (2020) w/ Leroy Bell ;As producer/composer * ''Wayne's World Theme'' (1992)

Videography

As band member/performer or musical director * "

" (official song video) w/Dan Hartman (1978) * " Fashion" (official song video) w/David Bowie (1980) * "Station To Station" w/David Bowie - (from the movie Christiane F ) 1980 * "Wait for me" (official song video) w/Hall & Oates (1979) * " Private Eyes" (official song video) w/Hall & Oates (1981) * " Did it in a Minute" (official song video) w/Hall & Oates (1982) * "Your Imagination" (official song video) w/Hall & Oates (1982) * "Maneater" (official song video) w/Hall & Oates (1982) * "Family Man" (official song video) w/Hall & Oates (1983) * " Say It Isn't So" (official song video) w/Hall & Oates (1983) * " Out of Touch" (official song video) w/Hall & Oates (1984) *" Possession Obsession" (official song video) w/Hall & Oates (1984) *" Adult Education" (official song video) w/Hall & Oates (1984) * " Method of Modern Love" (official song video) w/Hall & Oates (1985) * " Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid" (official song video) w/Hall & Oates (1985)

Live performances and concerts

Daryl Hall & John Oates - Rock N' Soul Live
(1983)
Hall & Oates: The Liberty Concert
(1985) * Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (1993), DVD Deluxe Edition (2014) * The Kennedy Center Presents: A Tribute to Muddy Waters: King of the Blues (1998) * The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, 2000 * On Stage at the Kennedy Center: The Mark Twain Prize, 2002 * Roger Waters: The Wall (concert film based on The Wall Live (2010–13) tour), 2014

''Saturday Night Live'' specials

* Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary (TV Special), 1989 * Saturday Night Live: The Best of Robin Williams (TV Special), 1991 * Saturday Night Live: The Best of Steve Martin (TV Special), 1998 * Saturday Night Live: The Best of Mike Myers (TV Special), 1998 * Saturday Night Live 25th Anniversary (TV Special), 1999, received an Emmy Award * Saturday Night Live: The Best of Tom Hanks (TV Special), 2004 * Saturday Night Live in the '90s: Pop Culture Nation, (TV Special documentary), 2007 * Saturday Night Live: 40th Anniversary Special, 2015

References

External links

G.E. Smith Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, G. E. 1952 births American rock guitarists American male guitarists Songwriters from Pennsylvania Living people People from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania Saturday Night Live Band members American people of Lebanese descent Hall & Oates members Guitarists from Pennsylvania 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians American male songwriters