G.E. Smith

With his blond ponytail and commanding presence, G. E. Smith is probably the SNL house band's best-remembered front man. As their musical director for 10 years, spanning 1985–1995, Smith tore it up with some of the best rock musicians of all time. Everyone from Eddie Van Halen to Keith Richards jammed with Smith's SNL band, which was one of the most incredible ensembles ever to appear on American television.

George Edward Smith was born to play guitar. His parents bought him his first one when he was four. By the time he was seven he was already a proficient player. By the time he was a teenager, he was playing professional gigs in the local bar scene around the Poconos.

In the late 70s, he hooked up with the infamous Scratch Band, which led to a gig playing guitar for Gilda Radner's 1979 Broadway show, "Gilda Live." The two of them married soon

after they met, but the marriage only lasted for two years. At the same time, he was hired by the group Hall & Oates as their lead guitarist and spent several years on tour with the band.

In 1985, Lorne Michaels was making his return to Saturday Night Live and was looking for someone to take over the house band. He remembered Smith from his days with Gilda Radner and offered him the job. Smith accepted without hesitation and spent a whirlwind ten years fronting SNL's most legendary band. Remarkably, Smith was often on tour with Bob Dylan, among others, during this period, winging around the world to play concert dates and then back to New York on Saturdays for SNL.

Today, G.E. Smith continues to play, tour, and write music. He currently owns his own music label, Green Mirror Music, with his wife singer/songwriter Taylor Barton.

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