Fred Sonic Smith
Encyclopedia
Fred "Sonic" Smith, born Frederick Dewey Smith (September 13, 1949 West Virginia
– November 4, 1994) was an American
guitarist
, best known as a member of the band MC5
.
He later went on to form Sonic's Rendezvous Band
, which released one single, "City Slang", during Smith's lifetime.
. Patti Smith's guitarist, Lenny Kaye, introduced Fred and Patti before the show and the two were married in 1980. Fred served as inspiration for Patti Smith who wrote to him, among other tributes, a song called "Frederick"
. He and Smith collaborated on her 1988 album Dream of Life
.
Smith died in 1994; the apparent cause was heart failure. Smith's 1996 album Gone Again
features a tribute to her late husband.
The Smiths had a son, Jackson (born 1982), and a daughter, Jesse (born 1987).
Amplification
magazine ranked Smith number ninety-three in its list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. The band Sonic Youth
took its name from Smith's nickname.
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
– November 4, 1994) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, best known as a member of the band MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
.
He later went on to form Sonic's Rendezvous Band
Sonic's Rendezvous Band
Sonic's Rendezvous Band was a rock and roll band from Ann Arbor, Michigan in the 1970s, featuring veterans of the 1960s Detroit rock scene.- Background :Sonic's Rendezvous Band came from the ashes of four Michigan rock bands:...
, which released one single, "City Slang", during Smith's lifetime.
Biography
Smith was playing a gig in which his band was opening for singer and poet Patti SmithPatti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
. Patti Smith's guitarist, Lenny Kaye, introduced Fred and Patti before the show and the two were married in 1980. Fred served as inspiration for Patti Smith who wrote to him, among other tributes, a song called "Frederick"
Frederick (song)
"Frederick" is a rock song written by Patti Smith, and released as lead single from Patti Smith Group 1979 album Wave. The song is dedicated to Fred "Sonic" Smith, guitarplayer of the Detroit band MC5 and Smith's future husband...
. He and Smith collaborated on her 1988 album Dream of Life
Dream of Life
Dream of Life is an album by Patti Smith, released in June 1988 on Arista Records. It was her first album after the dissolution of The Patti Smith Group. Lead single "People Have the Power" received some album-oriented rock airplay at the time, and later was revived by Bruce Springsteen as a theme...
.
Smith died in 1994; the apparent cause was heart failure. Smith's 1996 album Gone Again
Gone Again
Gone Again is an album by Patti Smith, released June 18, 1996 on Arista Records. The production of the record was preceded by the deaths of many of Smith's close friends and peers, including her husband Fred "Sonic" Smith, her brother Todd, Robert Mapplethorpe, Richard Sohl and Kurt Cobain, with...
features a tribute to her late husband.
The Smiths had a son, Jackson (born 1982), and a daughter, Jesse (born 1987).
Musical equipment
Guitars- RickenbackerRickenbackerRickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker, is an electric and bass guitar manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California...
450 with Gibson PAFPAF (pickup)P.A.F. or just PAF is the world's first humbucker guitar pickup, invented by Seth Lover in 1955 as an engineer for Gibson and began use in mass production guitars in 1956 or 1957. However Rickenbacker and Gretsch had developed humbucking pickups also...
pickups - Epiphone CrestwoodEpiphone CrestwoodThe Epiphone Crestwood was a solidbody electric guitar launched in 1958 and discontinued in 1970. After Epiphone discontinued the Crestwood, a number of re-issues and replicas has been available from different companies.-History:...
- MosriteMosriteMosrite is an American guitar manufacturing company, based in Bakersfield, California, from the late 1950s to the early 1990s. Founded by Semie Moseley, Mosrite guitars were played by many rock and roll and country artists....
Guitars - GretschGretschThe Gretsch Company was founded in 1883 by Friedrich Gretsch, a twenty-seven year old German immigrant recently arrived in the US. Friedrich Gretsch manufactured banjos, tambourines, and drums, until his death in 1895. His son, Fred, moved operations to Brooklyn, New York in 1916...
Country Gentleman
Amplification
- Marshall AmpliferMarshall AmplificationMarshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
- Fender Super ReverbFender Super ReverbThe Fender Super Reverb was a guitar amplifier made by Fender. It was introduced in 1963 and was discontinued in 1982. This was essentially a Fender Super amplifier with built-in reverb and vibrato. The original Super Reverb amplifiers were all tube design and featured spring reverb. There were...
Influence
In 2003, Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine ranked Smith number ninety-three in its list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. The band Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
took its name from Smith's nickname.