William "Smitty" Smith

William Daniel "Smitty" Smith (August 30, 1944 – November 28, 1997) was a Canadian keyboardist and session musician.

He had been playing together with Steve Kennedy, Eric Mercury, Eric "Mouse" Johnson, Terry Logan 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 Bob Dylan, David Clayton-Thomas, Billy Joel, The Pointer Sisters, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Etta James, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Richie Havens, Tracy Chapman, Rod Stewart, Bruce Willis and Brenda Russell. He also played with Eric Mercury on his Funky Sounds Nurtured in the Fertile Soil album,^[2] Marc Tanner Band on their 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 (William D. Smith)

• A Good Feelin' – Warner Bros – BS 2911 – 1976^[7]
• Smitty - A&M SP-4693^[8] - 1978

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[]

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