George Edward Smith (''

né The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' 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 ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'', serving as bandleader and co-musical director of the Saturday Night Live Band. Smith has recorded and performed with many acclaimed artists, including

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

Roger Waters George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. In 1965, he co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd as the bassist. Following the departure of the group's main songwriter Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, widely known for her hit singles " Fast Car" (1988) and " Give Me One Reason" (1995). She was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she rel ...

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

and Dan Hartman. 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 Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

in 1992. From 2010 to 2013, Smith was the rhythm, lead and bass guitarist in Roger Waters's '' The Wall Live'' tour, one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time. He received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

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 Vaug ...

in 1997 for the album ''Live! The Real Deal'' along with the Saturday Night Live Band as well as an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

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 and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...

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

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. His last name,

Haddad Haddad (Arabic language, Arabic: حدّاد) is an Arabic surname meaning ''blacksmith'', commonly used in the Levant and Algeria. Hadad is the name of an ancient Ancient Semitic religion, Semitic storm-god.Spencer L. Allen (5 March 2015). The ...

, is

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

for

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

. 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 The Fender Esquire is a solid-body electric guitar manufactured by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation of Los Angeles. It was the first solid-bodied guitar marketed by the company, and made its debut in 1950.. Early development Proto ...

, 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 The Pocono Mountains, commonly referred to as the Poconos (), are a geographical, geological, and cultural region in Northeastern Pennsylvania. They overlook the Delaware River and Delaware Water Gap to the east, Lake Wallenpaupack to the nort ...

Northeastern Pennsylvania Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA or Nepa) is a region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, and the industrial cities of Scranton (the area's largest city), Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Ha ...

Career

Early career

In the early 1970s, Smith left Northeastern Pennsylvania for the

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

, 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 on his successful album ''

Instant Replay Instant replay or action replay is a video reproduction of something that recently occurred, both shot and broadcast live TV, live. After being shown live, the video is replayed so viewers can see it again and analyze what just happened. Spo ...

'', including its hit

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...

, and played guitar on Hartman’s US and European tour. Upon his return to the East Coast, Smith moved to

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

and became the guitarist for

Gilda Radner Gilda Susan Radner (June 28, 1946 – May 20, 1989) was an American actress and comedian. She was one of the seven Saturday Night Live cast members, original cast members of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on the NBC sketch comedy series ...

'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, 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".

''Saturday Night Live'' era

From 1985 to 1995, Smith served as the Saturday Night Live band's

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a dance band, rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhyth ...

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 and American television writer and film producer. He created and produced ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1980, 1985–present) and produced the ''Late Night (franchise) ...

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 and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

''. 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 Never Ending Tour from June 1988 until October 1990. He also served as the musical director for special events such as the 1988

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

, the 1993 Rhythm and Blues Foundation Awards, Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary Concert at

as well as acting as the musical director at the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

Concert in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

. 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 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 singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

at the

Kennedy Center Honors The Kennedy Center Honors are annual honors given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to Culture of the United States, American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in ...

in Washington, D.C. He also led bands for the

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...

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. Known for reaching a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, he is widely regarded ...

and

Jonathan Winters Jonathan Harshman Winters III (November 11, 1925 – April 11, 2013) was an American comedian, actor, author, television host, and artist. He started performing as a stand up comedian before transitioning his career to acting in film and te ...

, 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 Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

, respectively. From 2004 to 2006, Smith performed classic rock songs—as well as his own song, "Brownstown"—at

home games A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. 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

during the 2010–2013 tour The Wall Live. 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 Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

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 Governor of Massachusetts, Massachuset ...

in Tampa Bay, Florida, as the convention's

house band A house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play at an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to bands which ...

. 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 is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

at the

2016 Republican National Convention The 2016 Republican National Convention, in which delegates of the United States Republican Party (United States), Republican Party chose the party's nominees for President of the United States, president and Vice President of the United Sta ...

in Ohio. Smith was one of the many guests appearing on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' 40th Anniversary Special on February 15, 2015. Ten years later, he also appeared on the 50th Anniversary Special. Smith has performed with Jim Weider—formerly of

the Band The Band was a Canadian-American rock music, rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1957. It consisted of the Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, d ...

and member of the Weight Band—on their ''Masters of the Telecaster'' series. To get a better understanding of what inspires famous musicians and artists from a variety of fields, Smith and his wife Taylor Barton founded the concert series Portraits in 2015. Now in its fourth series, Portraits has hosted artists including

Billy Squier William Haislip Squier (, born May 12, 1950) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter who had a string of arena rock and crossover hits in the early 1980s. His best-known songs include " The Stroke", " Lonely Is the Night", " My Kinda Love ...

Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor, author, and film director. He made his film debut in ''Explorers (film), Explorers'' (1985), before making a breakthrough performance in ''Dead Poets Society'' (1989). Hawke starr ...

, the Bacon Brothers, and

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 Cr ...

. Smith made a

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

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

Personal life

Smith was married to comedian

(1980–1982) and has been married to singer/songwriter Taylor Barton since 1990. He has one daughter named Josie.

Discography

;with Hall & Oates (also as arranger) * '' X-Static'' (1979) * '' Voices'' (1980) * '' Private Eyes'' (1981) * '' H2O'' (1982) * '' Greatest Hits Live'' (1982), released in 2001 * '' Rock 'n Soul Part 1 (Compilation)'' (1983) * '' Big Bam Boom'' (1984) * ''Sweet Soul Music (Live)'' (1984) * '' Live at the Apollo'' (1985) * ''Ecstasy on the Edge'' (2001) ;with Dan Hartman * ''

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

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

* '' She's The Boss'' (1985) *'' Dancing in the Street'' w/David Bowie (1985) * '' Primitive Cool'' (1987) * '' The Very Best of Mick Jagger'' (2007) ;with

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Billboard Hot 100, top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation (song), Anticipatio ...

* '' Tired of Being Blonde'' (1985), also producer ;with Ric Ocasek * '' This Side of Paradise'' (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 James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...

* ''Fruitcakes'' (1994) ;with

* '' Live: The Real Deal'' (with the Saturday Night Live Band, 1996), received

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

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 music, 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 ...

* ''Compliments from Moonalice'' (2007) * ''Moonalice'' (2008) * ''The Jewish Mother, Virginia Beach, VA'' (2008) ;with

* '' Roger Waters: The Wall'' (Live Album) (2010–2013)'','' released 2015 ;with

* ''

Loving the Alien (1983–1988) ''Loving the Alien (1983–1988)'' is a box set by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released on 12 October 2018. A follow-up to the compilations '' Five Years (1969–1973)'', '' Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)'', and '' A New Career in ...

'' (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 Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained educating activities in order to gain new knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ralph G. ''The Pr ...

" (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

* 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 * Saturday Night Live: 50th Anniversary Special, 2025

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 Moonalice members Flying Other Brothers members American people of Lebanese descent Hall & Oates members Guitarists from Pennsylvania 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians American male songwriters