Earl Smith (musician)
| Earl "Chinna" Smith | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Earl Smith |
| Also known as | Earl Flute |
| Born | 6 August 1955 |
| Origin | Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genres | Reggae |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals, bass guitar, percussions |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Labels | High Times, Makasound |
| Associated acts |
Soul Syndicate The Aggrovators The Upsetters Bob Marley & the Wailers Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers |
| Website | www.chinnasmithmusic.com |
Earl "Chinna" Smith (born 6 August 1955), a.k.a. Earl Flute and Melchezidek the High Priest, is a Jamaican guitarist active since the late 1960s. He is most well known for his work with the Soul Syndicate band and has recorded with many reggae artists, appearing on more than 500 albums.
Smith was born on 6 August 1955, and raised by family friends in the Greenwich Farm area of Kingston. His father and godfather were both sound system owners, his father's, Smith's, operated by Bunny Lee. Earl tried to emulate them using a toy sound system, leading to his nickname of "Tuner" (after a hi-fi amplifier), which was corrupted to "Chuner" and later "Chinna". Smith became interested in guitar as a teenager and made his own from sardine cans and fishing line. He formed a vocal group with his friend Earl Johnson (who later recorded as Earl Zero) and another youth, and they regularly sat in on sessions by the Soul Syndicate band. Smith was taught the basics of guitar by the band's guitarist Cleon Douglas, and became so adept at playing the band's repertoire that he was asked to join the band when Douglas emigrated to the United States.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Smith was the guitarist in Bunny Lee's house band that became known as The Aggrovators. Smith also played in Lee "Scratch" Perry's band The Upsetters. He worked with Bob Marley & the Wailers in 1976, and later worked with Marley's sons Julian and Ziggy, touring internationally with the latter and playing on his Conscious Party album. He also recorded a few tracks under the pseudonym Earl Flute for producer Keith Hudson.
In 1986 Smith appeared as a member of Ernest Reed's (Jimmy Cliff) back-up band in the reggae-themed comedy Club Paradise.
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