Gary Smith (drummer)
| Gary Smith | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Robert Gary Smith |
| Born | March 8, 1950 (age 66) Phoenix, Arizona |
| Genres | Rock, jazz, jazz-rock fusion |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Drums, percussion |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Associated acts | Chase, Survivor, Software, Chase Revisited |
| Website | garysmithdrums |
Gary Smith (born Robert Gary Smith, March 9, 1950) is an American drummer and songwriter. He was a member of Chase and a founding member of Survivor. Smith has also performed or recorded with B.B. King, Joe Williams, Vic Damone, Patrick Leonard, Leslie West (Mountain), Steve Forman, Will Lee, Elliott Randall, Bobby Kimball, Tommy Shaw, Darryl Jones, Jim Peterik, John Gary, Bruce Gaitsch, Eric Miyashiro, Clark Terry, Chuck Findley, Larry Carlton, Jaco Pastorius and many others.
Smith was born in Phoenix, Arizona. He began backing up local musicians in his teens and had stints with Steve Forman's Eclectic Mouse and Joe Williams before the age of 21.
Smith joined the Chicago-based jazz-rock fusion band Chase in the fall of 1971 and recorded the album Ennea. The band received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist that year. Smith, trumpeter/vocalist Ted Piercefield and bassist Dennis Keith Johnson left the band in 1972 and formed the band X in South Florida. X disbanded before it could sign a pending record deal. Chase bandleader Bill Chase, keyboardist Wally Yohn, drummer Walter Clark, guitarist John Emma, pilot Dan Ludwig and the co-pilot died in a tragic plane crash in 1974.
Smith returned to Chicago in 1976 to do studio work. He formed Shy Rhythm with Johnson, keyboardist Terry Fryer and guitarist Bruce Gaitsch. The group backed singer Jim Peterik on his first solo album, Don't Fight The Feeling, on Epic Records, and formed the Jim Peterik Band.
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