Episode 38 with GE Smith

The Riff Raff with Shane Theriot

My guest today is Mr. G.E. Smith.

As one of the most seen and heard guitarists in the heyday of late 70’s - 80’s era SNL (when the show was at it's peak) you would have no doubt seen G.E. on your TV set, mugging it up for the camera and playing a variety of cool vintage guitars while rubbing shoulders with the likes of guest guitarists Eddie Van Halen, Eric Clapton and David Gilmour. What a lot of people don't realize is that during this time (and often the very same day) GE was working with Bob Dylan, flying around the world and coming in for his "day gig" on SNL. He had just departed a huge 6 year run with Daryl Hall and John Oates.

This episode of Riff Raff is particularly interesting because I get to interview the guitarist that once not only stood in my shoes but basically formed the mold-GE was the guitarist with Daryl Hall and John Oates in the era of MTV and those huge radio hits that we still hear on the radio today- Maneater, Private Eyes and Kiss is on My List just to name a few. But his resume doesn’t stop there- he also worked with Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Mick Jagger and many many others.

These days G.E. has a new album coming out with newly found collaborator and singer LeRoy Bell- Their new project is called “Stony Hill”. It’s a rootsy, raw pairing that is perfect for GE’s guitar playing and songwriting. Check out "America" and "Black is the Color of my True Love's Hair" for a taste of this great pairing.

We talk about guitars, Hall and Oates, Dylan, SNL, T-Bone Wolk, Stony Hill, guitars, why Eric Clapton took his pickup covers off of his Les Paul pickups in 1965 and all things in between.

Shout out to my manager Charles Driebe (Blind Ambition Mgmt. for connecting the Riff Raff podcast w/ G.E..

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