What is G. E. Smith's Net Worth?
G. E. Smith is a musician who has a net worth of $10 million. G. E. Smith rose to national fame as the lead guitarist for the pop rock duo Hall & Oates from 1979 to 1985. After that, he became bandleader and co-musical director on the sketch comedy television show "Saturday Night Live." Smith has also released albums as a solo artist, and has recorded and performed with such other major artists as Mick Jagger, Roger Waters, Bob Dylan, and Buddy Guy.
Early Life
G.E. Smith was born as George Edward Haddad on January 27, 1952 in Scranton, Pennsylvania to a Lebanese father and a mother from Ohio. Raised in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, he began playing guitar when he was only four years old. When he turned 11, Smith was given his first electric guitar, a Fender Esquire. By his teenage years, he was already making money performing at resorts in the Poconos.
Career Beginnings
In the early 1970s, Smith relocated to the New Haven, Connecticut area, where he played in a music group called the Scratch Band. Later in the decade, he had a career breakthrough when he played guitar on Dan Hartman's hit album "Instant Replay," and fronted as the guitarist on Hartman's subsequent tour. Following that success, Smith moved to New York City and became the guitarist for Gilda Radner's Broadway show "Gilda Live." He also reunited with Hartman for the album "Relight My Fire."
Hall & Oates
Smith rose to national fame as the lead guitarist for the pop rock duo Hall & Oates, which he joined in 1979. With the duo, he recorded five singles that made it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the early 1980s: "Private Eyes," "Kiss on My List," "Maneater," "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)," and "Out of Touch." These singles came from the multi-platinum albums "Voices," "Private Eyes," "H2O," and "Big Bam Boom."
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Saturday Night Live
After Hall & Oates went on a hiatus in 1985, Smith joined the sketch comedy television show "Saturday Night Live" as the bandleader and co-musical director. Alongside his bandmate Tom Wolk, who had served as the bassist for Hall & Oates, Smith became known on "SNL" for his expressive performances seen just before the show went to commercial break. He was ultimately fired from the show following the catastrophic 1994-95 season, which had the lowest ratings "SNL" had seen in close to two decades.
Other Collaborations
Smith has collaborated with a wide range of artists on both albums and live performances. In 1985, he contributed guitar to Mick Jagger's debut solo album "She's the Boss," and played guitar on Carly Simon's song "Tired of Being Blonde." The next year, Smith contributed to Ric Ocasek's album "This Side of Paradise." He began one of his most prolific collaborations in 1988 when he toured with Bob Dylan on Dylan's Never Ending Tour, which ran for 281 shows through 1990. In 1992, Smith served as musical director for Dylan's 30th Anniversary Concert at Madison Square Garden, which yielded the live double-album "The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration." Later, he performed with Buddy Guy and earned a Grammy Award nomination for Guy's 1996 album "Live!: The Real Deal."
In the 00s, Smith contributed to some albums by the rock band Moonalice. Later, from 2010 to 2013, he toured with Roger Waters on The Wall Live tour, serving as the rhythm, lead, and bass guitarist. The tour became one of the highest-grossing concert tours in history. A concert film of the tour, called "Roger Waters: The Wall," premiered in 2014, and a live album of the same name was released the following year.
Solo Albums
As a solo artist, Smith released his debut album, "In the World," in 1981. His next album, "Get a Little," didn't come out until 1993; it featured the Saturday Night Live Band. Five years after that, Smith released "Incense, Herbs and Oils." Much later, in 2020, he released "Stony Hill," with singer-songwriter Leroy Bell.
Personal Life
Smith married actress and comedian Gilda Radner, of "SNL" fame, in 1980; they ended up divorcing in 1982. Smith went on to marry singer-songwriter Taylor Barton in 1990. Together, the pair founded PORTRAITS, a series of small-scale evening concerts.
