Smith, Joe, 1928-

Biographical Note

Born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and educated at Yale University, Joe Smith worked as a sportscaster and disc jockey in Virginia and Pennsylvania before becoming a top-rated and pioneering rock ‘n’ roll disc jockey at WMEX and WBZ in Boston. In 1961 he moved to California and was hired as a national promotion manager for Warner Bros. Records. Over the next three decades, until his retirement in 1993, he rose to legendary status as president of three major labels: Warner Bros./Reprise, Electra/Asylum/Nonesuch and Capitol/EMI. He signed and guided the careers of such artists as Peter, Paul, and Mary; Bill Cosby; Rod Stewart; James Taylor; the Grateful Dead; Linda Ronstadt; the Eagles; Bonnie Raitt; Van Morrison; the Doobie Brothers; and Black Sabbath.

During his career Joe Smith was heavily involved in various industry associations, acting as the first full-time president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), vice president of the Country Music Association, president of the Record Industry for Community Relations, and a board member of the Recording Industry Association (RIAA) and Black Music Association. Smith was a leading music industry spokesman in Washington and overseas, advocating for copyright protection and testifying against piracy before several congressional committees.