- Claydes Charles Smith
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Claydes Charles Smith (September 6, 1948 – June 20, 2006) was an American musician best known as co-founder and lead guitarist of the group Kool & the Gang.
Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, he was introduced to jazz guitar by his father in the early 1960s. In the late 1960s, he joined with Ronald Bell (later Khalis Bayyan), Robert "Kool" Bell, George Brown, Dennis Thomas and Robert "Spike" Mickens to become Kool & the Gang.
Kool & the Gang blended jazz, funk, R&B, and pop. The group remained popular from the 1960s through the 1980s.[1]
Smith stopped touring in January 2006 due to illness.
Smith's family included six children: Claydes A. Smith, Justin Smith, Aaron Corbin, August Williams, Uranus Smith-Garay, and Tyteen Humes. He died in Maplewood, New Jersey and is buried in Westfield, New Jersey's Fairview Cemetery.
References
- ^ "Charles Smith, Kool & the Gang guitarist, dies at 57". SFGate.com. Archived from the original on 2006-08-19. http://web.archive.org/web/20060819013656/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/06/22/entertainment/e125117D41.DTL. Retrieved 2006-06-23.
External links
Robert "Kool" Bell · Ronald Bell · George Brown · Robert Mickens · Dennis Thomas ·
Clifford Adams · Sonnie "Skip" Martin · Shawn McQuiller · Rodney Ellis · Jirmad Gordon
James "J.T." Taylor · Claydes Charles Smith · Rick WestfieldStudio albums Kool and the Gang · Music Is the Message · Good Times · Wild and Peaceful · Light of Worlds · Spirit of the Boogie · Love & Understanding · Open Sesame · The Force · Everybody's Dancin' · Ladies' Night · Celebrate! · Something Special · As One · In the Heart · Emergency · Forever · Sweat · Unite · State of Affairs · Gangland · Still KoolLive albums Remix albums The Hits: ReloadedCompilation albums The Best of Kool and the Gang · Kool Jazz · Kool & the Gang Greatest Hits! · Spin Their Top Hits · Twice as Kool (The Hits of Kool & the Gang) · Everything's Kool & the Gang: Greatest Hits & More · The Singles Collection · Kool Love · The Best of Kool & The Gang: 1969-1976 · Celebration: The Best of Kool & The Gang (1979–1987) · The Very Best of Kool & the Gang · 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Kool & the GangSingles "Jungle Boogie" · "Hollywood Swinging" · "Higher Plane" · "Spirit of the Boogie" · "Ladies' Night" · "Celebration" · "Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It)" · "Get Down on It" · "Joanna" · "Fresh" · "Cherish"Related articles Grammy Award for Album of the Year (1970s) Year Album Artist(s) Producer(s) 1970 Blood, Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears (Dick Halligan, Jerry Hyman, Steve Katz, Fred Lipsius, Lou Soloff, David Clayton-Thomas, Chuck Winfield) James William Guercio 1971 1972 Tapestry Carole King Lou Adler 1973 The Concert for Bangla Desh George Harrison, Ravi Shankar, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann George Harrison, Phil Spector 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track Bee Gees (Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb), KC and the Sunshine Band (Harry Wayne Casey, Richard Finch, Fermin Goypisolo, Robert Johnson, Jerome Smith), Kool & the Gang (Robert "Kool" Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown, Larry Gittens, Robert Mickens, Otha Nash, Claydes Smith, Dennis Thomas, Rickey West), MFSB, Ralph MacDonald, Tavares (Butch Tavares, Chubby Tavares, Pooch Tavares, Ralph Tavares, Tiny Tavares), The Trammps (Jimmy Ellis, Robert Upchurch, Harold Wade, Stanley Wade, Earl Young), Walter Murphy, Yvonne Elliman Albhy Galuten, Arif Mardin, Bee Gees, Bill Oakes, Bobby Martin, Broadway Eddie, David Shire, Freddie Perren, Harry Wayne Casey, K.G. Productions, Karl Richardson, Ralph MacDonald, Richard Finch, Ron Kersey, Thomas J. Valentino, William Salter Complete list · (1960s) · (1970s) · (1980s) · (1990s) · (2000s) · (2010s) Categories:- 1948 births
- 2006 deaths
- American funk guitarists
- People from Jersey City, New Jersey
- Kool & the Gang members
- African American musicians
- American guitarist stubs
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