Martin Smith (17 December 1946 – 2 March 1997), was a drummer for

Gentle Giant Gentle Giant were a British progressive rock band active between 1970 and 1980. They were known for the complexity and sophistication of their music and for the varied musical skills of the members. All of the band members were multi-instrument ...

and Simon Dupree and the Big Sound. He played on the first two Gentle Giant albums, ''

'' and '' Acquiring the Taste'', before being replaced by

Malcolm Mortimore Malcolm Paul Mortimore (born 16 June 1953 in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, London, England) is an English drummer and percussionist who has played with Arthur Brown (musician), Arthur Brown, Ian Dury, Herbie Flowers, Gentle Giant, Spike Heatley, ...

. Smith was a versatile drummer who specialised in playing

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

styles. Smith died on 2 March 1997, at the age of 50, of internal hemorrhaging. Purportedly he had been very ill with a blood disorder for five years. He continued to drum until two months before his death. 150 people went to his funeral, including many fellow musicians, and

Gordon Haskell Gordon Haskell (27 April 1946 – 15 October 2020) was an English musician and songwriter. A pop, rock, jazz, country and blues vocalist, guitarist, and bassist, he was a school friend of King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp. The two first worke ...

(of

King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...

fame) wrote the eulogy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Martin 1946 births 1997 deaths English rock drummers 20th-century English musicians 20th-century British drummers Gentle Giant members