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. His cool jazz stylings and octave runs, reminiscent of Wes Montgomery but uniquely his own, enriched the music of the group. His playing on the hit "Summer Madness" is a fine example of his work.
Kool & the Gang blended jazz, funk, R&B, and pop. The group remained popular from the 1960s through the 1980s.
Smith stopped touring in January 2006 due to illness.

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