Jerry "Fireman" Smith, Blues Bass Player [1] edit
Gerald Kenneth Smith was born in Riverside, CA September 30, 1947. He started music lessons early but never stuck with anything for long. In high school he got interested in guitar and taught himself to play upside down left handed. His dad, Clyde Wilmot Smith, was a vervant "Big Band" era music lover and was very supportive of his three boys playing in local bands. Around 1965, Jerry Smith started out with Rod Piazza, Richard Innes (a childhood friend in elementary school) and Buddy Reed which became Bacon Fat. Often practicing in the Smith's front room.[2]
Loop Fire Suvivor edit
In the summer of 1966 Jerry's friend, Hoot Gibson, who worked at Rod Piazza’s brother Joe's Douglas gas station on 8th St. (now University Ave.) in Riverside, joined the El Cariso Hotshots, a U.S. Forest Service Interregional Wildland Firefighting Crew, as their cook and told Jerry they had an opening on the crew. So he joined up.
On November 1, 1966, the El Cariso Hotshots were trapped by flames in the Loop fire as they worked on a steep hillside in Pacoima Canyon in Angeles National Forest. An unanticipated upslope wind came up in the afternoon and a spot fire was fanned and funneled up the steep canyon. The crew were cutting handline downhill and most of the crew were unable to reach safety in the few seconds they had. Ten members of the crew died on the Loop Fire that day. Another two members died from burn injuries in the following days. Most of the 19 El Cariso crew members who survived were critically burned and remained hospitalized for some time. The Downhill Indirect Checklist, improved firefighting equipment and better fire behavior training resulted, in part, from lives lost on this fire.
Recovery edit
Jerry overcame 30% 3rd degree burns, the worst to the hands, and had his right little finger amputated but continued to play, this time playing right handed but strung upside down to compensate for the burns. After a couple of years struggling to relearn the bass, he finally felt confident enough to ask Rod to give him a chance to join the band. After bassist Les Morrison left, Jerry stepped in on bass with various other drummers and guitar players coming and going. Rod finally settled on Richard Innes on drums and Buddy Reed, vocals and guitar to make up what became Bacon Fat. Early on Rod met George "Harmonica" Smith after he left the Muddy Waters band. George thought it would be novel to have a white backup band and they started playing down in playing in Watts at Small's Paradise a Go Go at 53rd and Avalon in South Central Los Angeles right after the first Watts riot.
Mike Vernon (record producer), founder and producer of Blue Horizon records out of London got word of the happening and came over and recorded a live album "Bacon Fat - Live At Small's Paradise" with George "Harmonica" Smith on harmonica, J. D. Nicolson on piano, Richard Innes on drums, Buddy Reed on guitar and Jerry Smith on bass with special guest Pee Wee Crayton on guitar and vocals.
In the early 70's Bacon Fat toured with the Johnny Otis Revue, playing with the The Platters, Chubby Checker, Shuggie Otis and Little Richard, At the end of the tour Little Richard was so impressed with the Bacon Fat rhythm section that he hired on Jerry, Richard Innes and Buddy Reed and they continued on touring with Little Richard for several more months then rejoined Rod Piazza and George "Harmonica" Smith. Buddy Reed, Richard Innes and Jerry Smith decided to form a trio and played together several years before venturing on to other bands.
When Hollywood Fats with Al Blake, harmonica vocalist and piano player Fred Kaplan, were forming the Hollywood Fats Band Kaplan garnered part of Piazza's band of Jerry Smith and Richard Innes, Later Larry Taylor from the Canned Heat replaced Jerry Smith.[3]
Jerry played with most of the great blues musicians in the 60's and 70's. Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, Lowell Fulson, Lightnin' Hopkins, Big Mama Thornton, T-Bone Walker, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Louisiana Red, Mike Bloomfield, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, Albert Collins, Roy Brown, Charlie Musselwhite, to name a few.
In 1986 Jerry went back to school and in January of 1988 earned a degree as a Registered nurse specializing in Rehabilitation working with catastrophic injuries - Spinal cord injuries, Strokes, traumatic brain injuries, and burns. He retired as an RN in 2019 to this day and still plays bass for fun and for free and occasionally for the public.[4]
Discography edit
Bacon Fat - Live At Small's Paradise Blue Moon 1.029 US 1969 Producer - Mike Vernon Harmonica vocals - George Smith Guitar vocals - Pee Wee Crayton Harmonica vocals - Rod Piazza Piano vocals - J.D. Nicholson Guitar vocals - Buddy Reed Drums - Dick Innes Bass - Jerry Smith Guitar - Gregg Schaefer
Bacon Fat - Grease One For Me Blue Horizon BH 4807 US 1970 Producer - Mike Vernon Harmonica vocals - George Smith Guitar vocals - Pee Wee Crayton Harmonica vocals - Rod Piazza Piano vocals - J.D. Nicholson Guitar vocals - Buddy Reed Drums - Dick Innes Bass - Jerry Smith Guitar - Gregg Schaefer
Bacon Fat - No Time For Jive Blue Horizon S7-63856 UK 1970 Producer - Mike Vernon Harmonica vocals - George Smith Guitar vocals - Pee Wee Crayton Harmonica vocals - Rod Piazza Piano vocals - J.D. Nicholson Guitar vocals - Buddy Reed Drums - Dick Innes Bass - Jerry Smith Guitar - Gregg Schaefer
Tough Dude Blue Horizon 2431 001 UK 1971 Producer - Mike Vernon Harmonica vocals - George Smith Guitar vocals - Pee Wee Crayton Harmonica vocals - Rod Piazza Piano vocals - J.D. Nicholson Guitar vocals - Buddy Reed Drums - Dick Innes Bass - Jerry Smith Guitar - Gregg Schaefer
George Smith Arkansas Trap Deram SML-1082 UK 1971 Producer - Mike Vernon Harmonica vocals - George Smith Guitar vocals - Pee Wee Crayton Harmonica vocals - Rod Piazza Piano vocals - J.D. Nicholson Guitar vocals - Buddy Reed Drums - Dick Innes Bass - Jerry Smith Guitar - Gregg Schaefer
How Blue Can We Get? Blue Horizon PR 45/46 UK 1970 (2 LP Compilation) Various artists
Volume I : "White artists" Top Topham Duster Bennett Christine Perfect Bacon Fat Chicken Shack Jellybread Fleetwood Mac
Volume II : "Black artists" Elmore James Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup Magic Sam Larry Johnson Otis Spann Furry Lewis Champion Jack Dupree George Smith Johnny Young Roosevelt Holts Bukka White Mississippi Joe Callicott Otis Rush
George Smith & Bacon Fat – The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions Blue Horizon – 82876887372 US 2006 Producer - Mike Vernon Harmonica vocals - George Smith Guitar vocals - Pee Wee Crayton Harmonica vocals - Rod Piazza Piano vocals - J.D. Nicholson Guitar vocals - Buddy Reed Drums - Dick Innes Bass - Jerry Smith Guitar - Gregg Schaefer
Big Joe Turner – Boss Man Of The Blues LMI Records – LMI-1004 US 1973 Producer – Lee Magid Vocals – Big Joe Turner Harmonica – Rod Piazza Drums – Dick Innes Bass – Jerry Smith Guitar – George Phelps, Guitar - T-Bone Walker (tracks: A3, B4) Piano – Mark Leonard (track A5), Piano - Paul Mitchell (tracks: A3, B4) Saxophone – Jimmy "Night Train" Forrest*
Rod Piazza – Bluesman LMI Records – LMI-1005 US 1973 Producer – Lee Magid Harmonica, Vocals – Rod Piazza Drums – Dick Innes Bass – Jerry Smith Guitar – George Phelps Piano – Mark Leonard
Hollywood Fats, Hollywood Blue Flames – Road to Rio / Larger than Life Delta Groove Productions, Inc. – DGPCD 107 US 2006 Guitar vocals - Hollywood Fats Harmonica, Vocals, Producer - Al Blake Piano – Fred Kaplan Drums – Richard Innes Bass - Larry Taylor Bass - Jerry Smith (Track 2-4) “Side Tracked” Written-By – Freddie King, Sonny Thompson
Buddy Reed & The Rocket 88’s - Short Dress Woman Trash Records TLP-1002 US 1983 Guitar vocals - Buddy Reed Harmonica - Bill Tarsha Bass - Jerry Smith Drums - Roger Rotoli
Buddy Reed & Th' Rip It Ups - Tough Enough Taboo Records TR333LP-ST US 1985 Guitar vocals - Buddy Reed Drums - Bob Newham Bass - Jerry Smith
Various – Still Got The Blues UK 1994 Emporio – EMPRBX 004 Rialto Rock; Blues for Mud - Buddy Reed & Th’Rip It Ups
- ^ Autobiography 2019
- ^ {{Cite web|url=https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Moberly-82%7Ctitle=The Life and Times of Beulah Mae Smith|last=Smith|first=Beulah|date=2015|website=|https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Moberly-82}
- ^ "Mike "Hollywood Fats" Mann | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
- ^ Autobiography by Gerald Kenneth Smith 2019