Jerry Smith

Ancestors

Son of Clyde Wilmont Smith and Beulah Mae (Moberly) Smith

Descendants

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Jerry Smith [send private message]

Jerry Smith is a member of the Cessna Name Study Project.

Jerry Smith is a member of the Rowley Name Study Project.

My mom Beulah Mae Moberly Smith got me interested in genealogy. She did extensive research on the Moberlys, the Rowleys, and the Gudgels on her side of the family, the Cessnas and Smiths on my dads side and I've tried to include her sources when possible. I've been trying to get it electronically recorded ever since. So complicated at times. I've tried to focus on reconcilling the many duplicates and so I'm not much of a researcher but try to be a cleaner upper when I run across duplicates. Hopefully helping the Wiki process more than hendering. I do defer to the anyone who has issues with my additions to profiles and encourage any interested parties to be co profile manager or take over is fine.

Biography

Now that I'm old, and have no sense of humility, here's my bio.

Jerry "Fireman" Smith, Blues Bass Player, Loop Fire Survivor, Retired Registered Nurse

I had always loved music and was a struggling left handed guitarist and bass player growing up playing with various local bands. In 1965, after barely graduating from Ramona highschool in Riverside, I met up with Rod Piazza a local Harmonica legend and was playing the Blues! In the summer of 1966 my friend, Hoot Gibson, who had worked at Rod Piazza’s brother Joe's Douglas gas station on 8th St. (now University Ave. in Riverside, CA joined the El Cariso Hotshots, a U.S. Forest Service Interregional Wildland Firefighting Crew, as their cook. Hoot told me they had an opening on the crew. Playing music wasn't paying the bills, so I joined up.in late August.

On November 1, 1966, my third fire out, the El Cariso Hotshots were trapped by flames in the Loop fire as we worked down a steep hillside in Pacoima Canyon in Angeles National Forest. An unanticipated upslope wind came up in the afternoon and a spot fire was fanned and funneled up the steep canyon. Our crew were cutting handline downhill and myself and most of the crew were unable to reach safety in the few seconds we had.

Ten members of the crew died on the Loop Fire that day. Another two members died from burn injuries in the following days. Most of the 19 El Cariso crew members who survived were critically burned and remained hospitalized for some time. The Downhill Indirect Checklist, improved firefighting equipment and better fire behavior training resulted, in part, from lives lost on this fire.

Physical Recovery

I eventually overcame 30% 3rd degree burns, the worst to my hands, and had my right little finger amputated but I continued to play, with the aid of alcohol and various and sundry substances, this time playing right handed but strung upside down to compensate for the burns. After a couple of years struggling to relearn the bass, I finally felt confident enough to ask Rod to give me a chance to rejoin the band. After bassist Les Morrison left, I stepped in on bass with various other drummers and guitar players coming and going. Rod finally settled on Richard Innes on drums and Buddy Reed, vocals and guitar to make up what became Bacon Fat.

Early on Rod met George "Harmonica" Smith after he left the Muddy Waters band. George thought it would be novel to have a white backup band and we started playing down in Watts at Small's Paradise a Go Go at 53rd and Avalon in South Central Los Angeles right after the first Watts riot.

Mike Vernon (record producer), founder and producer of Blue Horizon records out of London got word of the happening and came over and recorded a live album "Bacon Fat - Live At Small's Paradise" with George "Harmonica" Smith on harmonica, J. D. Nicolson on piano, Richard Innes on drums, Buddy Reed on guitar and myself on bass with special guest Pee Wee Crayton on guitar and vocals.

The Blue Horizon label brought the band to London for a UK tour and recorded several LPs as Bacon Fat and as back up band for George "Harmonica" Smith.

In the early 70's Bacon Fat toured with the Johnny Otis Revue, playing with The Platters, Chubby Checker, Shuggie Otis and Little Richard. At the end of the tour Little Richard was so impressed with the Bacon Fat rhythm section that he hired Richard Innes on drums, Buddy Reed on guitar and me on bass. We continued on touring the US with Little Richard for several more months then rejoined Rod Piazza and George "Harmonica" Smith.

Buddy Reed, Richard Innes and myself decided to form a trio and played together several years before venturing on to other bands.

Bo Diddley poster featuring Buddy Reed guitar, Richard Innes drums and Jerry Smith bass at Johnson College, Redlands, CA

When Mike "Hollywood Fats" Mann with Al Blake, harmonica vocalist and piano player Fred Kaplan, were forming the Hollywood Fats Band. Kaplan garnered part of Piazza's band, myself and Richard Innes, Later Larry Taylor from the Canned Heat replaced me.

I was blessed to play with most of the great blues musicians in the 60's and 70's. Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, Lowell Fulson, Lightnin' Hopkins, Big Mama Thornton, T-Bone Walker, Big Joe Turner, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Louisiana Red, Mike Bloomfield, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, Albert Collins, Roy Brown, Charlie Musselwhite, Jimmy "Night Train" Forrest, Glenn Ross Campbell just to name a few.

Recovery

In 1978 I went back to school, my goal was to become an RN. After struggling with various addictions I finally got sober April 9th 1986 and in January of 1988, ten years after starting a two year program, I finally earned a degree as a Registered Nurse specializing in Rehabilitation working with catastrophic injuries - Spinal cord injuries, Strokes, traumatic brain injuries, and burns. I retired from Loma Linda University Medical Center after 33 years of service in June 2019. I still play bass, sometimes for my former patients and occasionally for the public.

Discography

Bacon Fat - Live At Small's Paradise Blue Moon 1.029 US 1969
Producer - Mike Vernon
Harmonica vocals - George Smith
Guitar vocals - Pee Wee Crayton Harmonica vocals - Rod Piazza
Piano vocals - J.D. Nicholson
Guitar vocals - Buddy Reed
Drums - Richard Innes
Bass - Jerry Smith
Guitar - Gregg Schaefer

Bacon Fat - Grease One For Me Blue Horizon BH 4807 US 1970
Producer - Mike Vernon
Harmonica vocals - George Smith
Harmonica vocals - Rod Piazza
Piano vocals - J.D. Nicholson
Guitar vocals - Buddy Reed
Drums -Richard Innes
Bass - Jerry Smith
Guitar - Gregg Schaefer

Bacon Fat - No Time For Jive Blue Horizon S7-63856 UK 1970
Producer - Mike Vernon
Harmonica vocals - George Smith
Harmonica vocals - Rod Piazza
Piano vocals - J.D. Nicholson
Guitar vocals - Buddy Reed
Drums -Richard Innes
Bass - Jerry Smith
Guitar - Gregg Schaefer

Tough Dude Blue Horizon 2431 001 UK 1971
Producer - Mike Vernon
Harmonica vocals - George Smith
Harmonica vocals - Rod Piazza
Piano vocals - J.D. Nicholson
Guitar vocals - Buddy Reed
Drums -Richard Innes
Bass - Jerry Smith
Guitar - Gregg Schaefer

George Smith Arkansas Trap Deram SML-1082 UK 1971
Producer - Mike Vernon
Harmonica vocals - George Smith
Harmonica vocals - Rod Piazza
Piano vocals - J.D. Nicholson
Guitar vocals - Buddy Reed
Drums -Richard Innes
Bass - Jerry Smith
Guitar - Gregg Schaefer

How Blue Can We Get? ‎ Blue Horizon PR 45/46 UK 1970 (2 LP Compilation) Various ‎artists
Volume I : "White artists" Top Topham, Duster Bennett, Christine Perfect (McVie), Bacon Fat Chicken Shack Jellybread Fleetwood Mac
Volume II : "Black artists" Elmore James Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup Magic Sam Larry Johnson Otis Spann Furry Lewis Champion Jack Dupree George "Harmonica" Smith Johnny Young Roosevelt Holts Bukka White Mississippi Joe Callicott Otis Rush

George Smith & Bacon Fat ‎– The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions Blue Horizon ‎– 82876887372 US 2006
Producer - Mike Vernon
Harmonica vocals - George Smith
Harmonica vocals - Rod Piazza
Guitar vocals - Pee Wee Crayton
Piano vocals - J.D. Nicholson
Guitar vocals - Buddy Reed
Drums -Richard Innes
Bass - Jerry Smith
Guitar - Gregg Schaefer

Big Joe Turner ‎– Boss Man Of The Blues LMI Records ‎– LMI-1004 US 1973
Producer – Lee Magid
Vocals – Big Joe Turner
Guitar – George Phelps
Guitar - T-Bone Walker (tracks: A3, B4)
Piano – Mark Leonard (track A5)
Piano - Paul Mitchell (tracks: A3, B4)
Saxophone – Jimmy "Night Train" Forrest
Drums -Richard Innes
Bass - Jerry Smith

Rod Piazza ‎– Bluesman LMI Records ‎– LMI-1005 US 1973
Producer – Lee Magid
Vocals – Big Joe Turner
Guitar – George Phelps
Piano – Mark Leonard (track A5)
Drums -Richard Innes
Bass - Jerry Smith

Hollywood Fats, Hollywood Blue Flames ‎– Road to Rio / Larger than Life Delta Groove Productions, Inc. ‎– DGPCD 107 US 2006
Guitar vocals - Hollywood Fats
Harmonica, Vocals, Producer - Al Blake
Piano – Fred Kaplan
Drums – Richard Innes
Bass - Larry Taylor
Bass - Jerry Smith (Track 2-4) “Side Tracked” Written-By – Freddie King, Sonny Thompson

Buddy Reed & The Rocket 88’s - Short Dress Woman Trash Records TLP-1002 US 1983
Guitar - Vocals Buddy Reed
Harmonica - Bill Tarsha
Bass - Jerry Smith
Drums - Roger Rotolli

Buddy Reed & Th' Rip It Ups - Tough Enough Taboo Records TR333LP-ST US 1985
Guitar - Vocals Buddy Reed
Bass - Jerry Smith
Drums - Bob Newham

Various ‎– Still Got The Blues UK 1994 Emporio ‎– EMPRBX 004 Rialto Rock; Blues for Mud - Buddy Reed & Th’Rip It Ups
Guitar - Vocals Buddy Reed
Bass - Jerry Smith
Drums - Bob Newham

Sources

Wikipedia [1]