Larry Smith (producer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Larry Smith
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Larry Smith in 1983
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lawrence Smith |
| Born | June 11, 1952 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | December 19, 2014 (aged 62) New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer |
| Instruments | Bass guitar, Oberheim DMX, Prophet 5, Linn Drum, Roland TR-808 |
| Years active | 1979–1994 |
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Lawrence Smith (born June 11, 1952 – died December 19, 2014) was an important American musician and record producer in hip hop music. He helped create the sound of early hip hop.
Larry Smith is famous for working with Russell Simmons. Together, they produced albums for the group Run-DMC. These albums include Run-D.M.C. (1984) and King of Rock (1985). He also produced albums on his own for the group Whodini. These were Escape (1984) and Back in Black (1986).
Larry Smith was very talented. He could work with different types of music. Run-DMC had a rock sound, while Whodini was more R&B. Both groups had great success because of his work.
His productions were not just liked by critics. They were also very popular. In 1985, both Run-D.M.C.'s first album and Whodini's Escape sold enough copies to be "certified gold." This means they sold over 500,000 copies. The Fat Boys' first album, which Smith helped create, also went gold. These were some of the first hip hop albums to reach this sales level.
Many people in music respected Larry Smith. In 1987, John "Ecstacy" Fletcher from Whodini called him "the Quincy Jones of rap." Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels from Run-DMC said Smith's musical skills were as good as Dr. Dre's. In 2009, famous producer DJ Premier ranked Larry Smith as the best producer, even above James Brown and Rick Rubin.
Early Music Career
Larry Smith grew up in St. Albans, Queens, New York. He went to Andrew Jackson High School. He learned to play the bass guitar by listening to James Brown's songs. Smith played many different kinds of music. He played punk-rock, jazz, and blues. He also played in house bands for musicals.
In 1979, his friend Robert "Rocky" Ford asked him to play bass on Kurtis Blow's song "Christmas Rappin'." Smith then helped write and play bass on other Kurtis Blow songs. These included "The Breaks" and "Hard Times." "The Breaks" was one of the first hip hop songs to become a hit on the Billboard charts and sell gold.
While working with Kurtis Blow, Smith met Blow's manager, Russell Simmons. By 1982, Smith and Simmons started producing music together. Their first songs were for the rapper Jimmy Spicer. These were "The Bubble Bunch" (1982) and "Money (Dollar Bill, Y'all)" (1983).
Producing Run-DMC's Albums
Larry Smith was a trained musician. But he decided not to use live musicians for Run-DMC's music. He wanted to create the raw sound of hip hop from city parks and clubs. So, he used drum machines instead. This was a new idea at the time.
The first result was Run-DMC's single "It's Like That" with "Sucker MCs." These songs were mostly just beats and rhymes. This simple style became a model for many hip hop songs in the early 1980s.
When Run-DMC's first album, Run-D.M.C., came out in 1984, it was highly praised. One popular song from the album was "Rock Box." This song mixed hip hop and rock music, which was groundbreaking.
The Source magazine named Run-D.M.C. one of the 100 Best Rap Albums Ever. Rolling Stone called it one of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s. Critics said this album helped separate rap from disco music.
Smith and Simmons also produced Run-DMC's second album, King of Rock. The main song, "King of Rock," again featured Eddie Martinez on guitar. This album was certified platinum in 1987. This means it sold over 1 million copies. Songs from King of Rock have been used in video games like "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith."
Producing Whodini's Escape
After Run-DMC's success, Larry Smith was asked to produce an album for Whodini. Whodini was a hip hop group from Brooklyn. They had been recording for Jive Records.
Smith's production of the single "Friends" with "Five Minutes of Funk" was key for Whodini's album Escape. "Friends" became very popular. It reached number four on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart.
Jalil Hutchins from Whodini remembered meeting Smith. He said Smith quickly shared his ideas. The first idea was "Five Minutes of Funk." Hutchins said they made that song in about 30 minutes.
Another important song from Escape was "Freaks Come out at Night." Critics praised Smith's music on this track. They said his sounds added a lot to the vocals. Escape was certified platinum in 1987. The Source magazine also named it one of the 100 Best Rap Albums in 1998.
A critic named Vince Aletti wrote about Smith's work for Whodini in 1986. He said Smith created a "funky but melodic mix." This made the songs appealing and helped hip hop music get played on the radio.
Personal Life
Larry Smith married Michelle on his birthday, June 11, 1986. They met in England when he was producing Whodini's second album. They got married in New York.
In November 2007, Smith had a stroke. This made it hard for him to speak. He passed away on December 19, 2014.
