Gary Smith Death – On the 17th of January 2023, Tanya Donelly shared the news on Twitter that Gary Smith has passed away. Gary Smith died from unknown causes on the 17th of January 2023. Gary Smith was an American entrepreneur also known for his work as a record producer and artist management. Since the middle of the 1980s, he has been employed at Fort Apache Studios, where he was recognized for his work recording albums by alternative rock musicians. His work has earned him a reputation for being one of the best in the business.
In the late 1980s, Smith became a partner in the studio business, and in 2002, he relocated the business from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Bellows Falls, Vermont. Today, Smith is the only owner of the studio.
Who was Gary Smith?
Rhode Island native Smith was instrumental in the early success of the Newport, RI band Throwing Muses by providing them with constructive feedback and advice. In 1986, he suggested to the band members that they relocate to Boston, a city with a booming alternative music scene. In the same year, he saw the Pixies as the opening act for Throwing Muses at Boston’s The Rat. He finally convinced them to let him write their debut album’s songs in the spring of 1987.
These preliminary recordings were dubbed “The Purple Tape,” and they were captured in an early version of Fort Apache’s studio digs, which was a “ramshackle” structure in a dangerous neighborhood. The Pixies’ first demos were taped at Fort Apache. Smith has contributed hundreds of great tunes to the Fort Apache canon since he joined the band in the mid-1980s.
One of the tracks is from the Come On Pilgrim EP, released by the Pixies on the record labels 4AD and Rough Trade Records. He has worked as a producer for a broad variety of musicians, such as Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses and Juliana Hatfield of Blake Babies, as well as Juliana Hatfield of Scrawl and Billy Bragg’s 10,000 Maniacs. He has also worked with Scrawl.
Smith lived in New Hampshire, across from his studio in Vermont. Smith runs multiple companies under the Fort Apache moniker. Historea Properties, Fort Apache Studios (formerly Windham Studios), and an artist management company representing Tanya Donelly and Natalie Merchant are among these firms. “Screed” is Smith’s Fort Apache blog.
Gary Smith obituary and funeral arrangements will be released by the family at a late date.
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