Joe Smith (music industry executive)
{{Short description|American music industry executive (1928–2019)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Joe Smith
| image =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1928|01|26}}
| birth_place = Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2019|12|02|1928|01|26}}
| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| resting place =
| education = Yale University
| occupation = Music industry executive
| spouses =
| children =
| parents =
| relatives =
}}
Joseph Benjamin Smith (January 26, 1928 – December 2, 2019) was an American music industry executive.{{cite news |last1=Sisario |first1=Ben |title=Joe Smith, Career-Making Record Executive, Is Dead at 91 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/04/arts/music/joe-smith-dead.html |accessdate=December 6, 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=December 4, 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Hagerty |first1=James R. |title=Joe Smith Ran Record Labels and Signed the Grateful Dead |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/joe-smith-ran-record-labels-and-signed-the-grateful-dead-11575501669 |accessdate=December 6, 2019 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=December 4, 2019}}{{cite news |title=Joe Smith obituary |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/joe-smith-obituary-f20tgns73 |access-date=December 6, 2019 |work=The Times |date=December 6, 2019}}
Early life
Smith was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in Chelsea, Massachusetts. His parents were Phil and Lil Smith. Smith joined the United States Army after graduating high school in 1945 and served with the occupation forces in Okinawa.
Career
Smith attended Yale University. After graduation, he became a sportscaster and later a DJ at WMEX and WBZ in Boston.{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/collections/joe-smith/about-this-collection/?loclr=blognsh|title=About this Collection {{!}} Joe Smith {{!}} Digital Collections {{!}} Library of Congress|website=Library of Congress|access-date=2020-01-30}} Smith was hired as national promotion manager at Warner Bros. in 1961 and later served as the label's general manager. He was named President of Warner Bros. in 1972. In 1975, he became chairman of Warner's sister company, Elektra/Asylum.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/music/news/joe-smith-dead-dies-elektra-capitol-warner-bros-label-head-1203421876/|title=Joe Smith, Former Label Head at Warner Bros., Elektra and Capitol, Dies at 91|last=Willman|first=Chris|date=2019-12-03|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=2020-01-30}}
Smith briefly served as president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 1986. He became vice chairman and chief executive of Capitol-EMI that same year.
While at Capitol Records, Smith compiled 238 hours of recorded interviews with artists and executives. Excerpts from his recordings were included in his 1988 book Off the Record: An Oral History of Popular Music. In 2012, Smith donated these recordings to the Library of Congress.
Death
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.loc.gov/collections/joe-smith/about-this-collection/?loclr=blognsh Joe Smith Collection: Library of Congress]
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Category:Businesspeople from Boston
Category:Businesspeople from Los Angeles
Category:Yale University alumni
Category:American music industry executives
Category:20th-century American businesspeople
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