Smith ‎– A Group Called Smith [1969]

Smith

Origin: Los Angeles, California, United States

Genres: Rock, soul, psychedelic rock, blues rock

Years active: 1969 - 1971

Labels: Dunhill

Smith was an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1969. They had a blues-based sound and scored a Top 5 hit in 1969 with a cover of the Burt Bacharach song «Baby It's You», featuring Gayle McCormick on lead vocals. This disc sold over one million copies between July and October 1969, out-charted popular versions by the Beatles and the Shirelles, and received a gold record awarded by the R.I.A.A.

History

The group evolved from «The Smiths» (not to be confused with later English band The Smiths), which featured two of the same members, and had attempted a hit single with «Now I Taste The Tears», produced and arranged by Ron Budnik. «Tears» was a brooding, foreboding sounding record that didn't chart well. When the band did not succeed, McCormick, who had started her career singing songs by Tina Turner, Etta James and others, was added as a front woman and lead vocalist. The group were then discovered by 1960s rocker Del Shannon in a nightclub in Los Angeles. Shannon arranged "Baby It's You" for the group and got them signed to the ABC-Dunhill label.

Career

Smith released an album titled A Group Called Smith, which spent 11 weeks in the Top 40 album listings of the since-called Billboard 200 record chart. On the album, vocals were split amongst Rich Cliburn, Jerry Carter and McCormick. Smith recorded a second album titled Minus-Plus with lesser success since it only reached No 74. Smith's version of «The Weight» was included on the epochal Easy Rider soundtrack because, due to contractual reasons, The Band's version, which appeared in the movie, was unavailable. Most of their material consisted of covers of popular rock and R&B tunes.

The band's singles «Take a Look Around» and «What Am I Gonna Do» reached the charts, but the group broke up after two albums. The band's hit "Baby It's You" was featured in Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse film, Death Proof.

McCormick solo career

After Smith disbanded, McCormick went on to record three solo albums, Gayle McCormick in 1971, Flesh & Blood in 1972 and One More Hour in 1974. The single «It's A Cryin' Shame» from her eponymous first album was a minor hit for her, reaching No 44 on the charts in 1971. It and «Gonna Be Alright Now» were included on the 1994 reissue of A Group Called Smith.

Discography

Albums

A Group Called Smith - (1969)

Minus-Plus - (1970)

Personnel

Smith was composed of one woman and four men:

Gayle McCormick – lead vocals

Larry Moss – organ

Jerry Carter – bass

Robert Evans – drums

John Horrigan - drums

Rich Cliburn – lead guitar

Alan Parker – guitar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_(band)

Artist Biography by Richie Unterberger

Basically a mainstream pop/rock band with hard rock and soul-influenced arrangements, Smith hit the Top Ten in 1969 with their drastically revised cover of the Shirelles' "Baby It's You." Featuring three lead singers and a B-3 Hammond organ, their strongest asset was their most frequent vocalist, Gayle McCormick, an accomplished female blue-eyed soul belter. Most of their material consisted of covers of popular rock and R&B tunes, and they broke up after a couple of albums, though the singles "What Am I Gonna Do" (co-written by Carole King) and "Take a Look Around" made the middle of the charts. McCormick had a couple of small hits in 1971 and made a few albums in the early '70s as a soloist.

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/smith-mn0000039757/biography

Gayle McCormick

Born: November 26, 1948, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.

Died: March 1, 2016 (aged 67), St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.

Genres: Rock, blues

Instruments: Vocals

Years active: 1965 – 1976

Associated acts: Smith

Gayle McCormick (November 26, 1948 – March 1, 2016) was an American singer, best known for her work with the rock band Smith. She attended Pattonville High School in Maryland Heights, Missouri near St. Louis and sang high soprano with the Suburb Choir, a 150-voice unit that performed annually with the St. Louis Symphony. Her recording and performing career stretched from 1965-76. McCormick started her career singing songs by Tina Turner and Etta James before joining Smith.

The Klassmen

In 1967, she was the lead singer in a band called the Klassmen and released a single called "Without You" which had success in Missouri.

Smith

In 1969 Smith was formed in Los Angeles, their first album entitled "A Group Called Smith," featured McCormick as the primary vocalist. Smith mainly played and recorded covers of pop and soul songs and made the top five with a remake of "Baby It's You", charting higher than the previous hit version by The Shirelles. Smith's version was also featured in Quentin Tarantino's film Death Proof, part of the Grindhouse double feature.

Solo

After the group disbanded, McCormick went on to record three solo albums. Gayle McCormick was released on ABC Dunhill in 1971, Flesh & Blood on Decca/MCA in 1972 and One More Hour on Fantasy in 1974. In the fall of 1971, her performance of "It's A Cryin' Shame" charted at No 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a Top Ten hit on the Adult Contemporary chart. In 1973 Gayle married and relocated to Hawaii.

McCormick recorded the tracks "Coming In Out of the Rain" and "Simon Said" for a 1975 single on the Shady Brook label; it scraped the lower reaches of the Adult Contemporary chart that fall. McCormick also contributed backing vocals to Jimmy Rabbitt and Renegade's Waylon Jennings-produced 1976 self-titled Capitol LP from which the single "Ladies Love Outlaws" was drawn.

Death

In 2015, McCormick was hospitalized for pneumonia and during the treatment it was discovered that she had cancer which had metastasized from a tumor in a lung to the rest of her body. McCormick died of cancer March 1, 2016 in suburban St. Louis. She was 67 years old.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayle_McCormick

Smith ‎– A Group Called Smith [1969]

A Group Called Smith is the debut album by the rock band Smith, released in 1969. It contains their biggest hit, a cover of The Shirelles' "Baby, It's You", which peaked at No 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 1, 1969 (it spent a total of 15 weeks on the chart). "Baby, It's You" was also featured in Quentin Tarantino's 2007 film, Death Proof.

Track listing

Titles and songwriting credits from original album sleeve and Allmusic

1. Let's Get Together (Chet Powers) - (cover of Dino Valenti) - 3:32

2. I Don't Believe (I Believe) (Jeffrey Thomas) - 3:41

3. Tell Him No (Rod Argent) - (cover of The Zombies)- 3:27

4. Who Do You Love (Bo Diddley) - (cover of Bo Diddley) - 2:57

5. Baby, It's You (Burt Bacharach/Mack David/Luther Dixon (credited as Barney Williams)) - (cover of The Shirelles, also by The Beatles) - 3:27

6. Last Time (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) - (cover of The Rolling Stones) - 5:38

7. I Just Want to Make Love to You (Willie Dixon) - (cover of Muddy Waters) - 2:38

8. Mojalesky Ridge (Harvey Price/Joel Sill/Dan Walsh) - 2:32

9. Let's Spend the Night Together (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) - (cover of The Rolling Stones) - 3:54

10. I'll Hold Out My Hand (Al Gorgoni/Chip Taylor) - (cover of the Clique) - 3:06

1994 reissue

1. Let's Get Together (Chet Powers) - (cover of Dino Valenti) - 3:32

2. I Don't Believe (I Believe) (Jeffrey Thomas) - 3:41

3. Tell Him No (Rod Argent) - (cover of The Zombies)- 3:27

4. Who Do You Love (Bo Diddley) - (cover of Bo Diddley) - 2:57

5. Baby, It's You (Burt Bacharach/Mack David/Luther Dixon (credited as Barney Williams)) - (cover of The Shirelles, also by The Beatles)- 3:27

6. Last Time (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) - (cover of The Rolling Stones) - 5:38

7. I Just Want to Make Love to You (Willie Dixon) - (cover of Muddy Waters) - 2:38

8. Mojalesky Ridge (Harvey Price/Joel Sill/Dan Walsh) - 2:32

9. Let's Spend the Night Together (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) - (cover of The Rolling Stones) - 3:54

10. I'll Hold Out My Hand (Al Gorgoni/Chip Taylor) - (cover of the Clique) - 3:06

11. The Weight (Robbie Robertson) - (cover of The Band, originally released on the Easy Rider (soundtrack)) - 4:32

12. Take A Look Around (Jerry Carter/Rick Cliburn) - 2:54

13. What Am I Gonna Do (Carole King/Toni Stern) - (also performed by Kenny Rogers) - 2:55

14. Gonna Be Alright Now (Dennis Lambert/Brian Potter) - (Gayle McCormick solo single) - 2:50

15. It's A Cryin' Shame (Dennis Lambert/Brian Potter) - (Gayle McCormick solo single) - 2:49

Released: July 1969

Recorded: 1969

Genre: Rock, soul, psychedelic rock, blues rock

Length: 50:59 (reissue)

Label:             Dunhill (original), Varese Vintage (1994 reissue)

Producer: Steve Barri & Joel Sill

Charts

Billboard 200 -

A Group Called Smith #17

Billboard Hot 100 -

What Am I Gonna Do No 73

Take A Look Around No 43

Baby It's You No 5

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Group_Called_Smith

Smith ‎– A Group Called Smith [1969] (Full Album)

Tracklist:

A1 Let's Get Together (Chet Powers) - (cover of Dino Valenti) - 3:32

A2 I Don't Believe (I Believe) (Jeffrey Thomas) - 3:40

A3 Tell Him No (Rod Argent) - (cover of The Zombies) - 3:25

A4 Who Do You Love? (Bo Diddley) - (cover of Bo Diddley) - 2:55

A5 Baby It's You (Burt Bacharach/Mack David/Luther Dixon (credited as Barney Williams)) - (cover of The Shirelles, also by The Beatles) - 3:25

B1 Last Time (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) - (cover of The Rolling Stones) - 4:44

B2 I Just Wanna Make Love To You (Willie Dixon) - (cover of Muddy Waters) - 2:39

B3 Mojaleskey Ridge (Harvey Price/Joel Sill/Dan Walsh) - 2:31

B4 Let's Spend The Night Together (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards) - (cover of The Rolling Stones) - 2:55

B5 I'll Hold Out My Hand (Al Gorgoni/Chip Taylor) - (cover of the Clique) - 3:06

Released: July 1969

Recorded: 1969

Genre: Rock, soul, psychedelic rock, blues rock

Length: 50:59 (reissue)

Label:             Dunhill (original), Varese Vintage (1994 reissue)

Producer: Steve Barri & Joel Sill

Credits

Arranged By [Horns] – Jimmie Haskell

Engineer – Bill Cooper, Bill Schnee, Phil Kaye

Performer – Bob Evans (5), Gayle McCormick, James Richard Cliburn, Jerry Carter, Larry Moss

Photography By – Paul Slaughter

Producer – Joel Sill, Steve Barri

Notes

Similar to Smith (3) - A Group Called Smith, but has printing code (A) bottom rear sleeve, at right of logo.

Label: ABC/Dunhill Records ‎– DS-50056/Stateside ‎– SJSL 128, Dunhill ‎– SJSL 128

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album

Country: US

Released: 1969

Genre: Rock

Style: Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues, Vocal

I do not make any profit from this video. All rights belong to the artists and the record companies. It is uploaded for educational and promotional purposes only. In memory of the unforgettable goddess Gayle McCormick, a great voice and presence, who died on March 1, 2016 at the age of 67.