One of the most in-demand blues/rock guitarists in the world is a mysterious character who goes by the name of G.E. Smith. Millions of TV viewers know his face from his 10 years (1985-1995) of fronting the Saturday Night Live band.

For G.E. Smith, a soulful guitarist, composer, singer and bandleader, it all began in rural Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, where he was just
about born with a guitar in his hand. "When the folk music scene came around and Bob Dylan's first album came out in '63, and Peter, Paul and
Mary all those people were performing, I got really into that." By chance, he attended a taping of the television show Hootenanny in Princeton, New Jersey, and saw the legendary Odetta and Josh White perform, further inciting his musicality.

In late 1977 G.E. got his first break, in the form of Dan Hartman, fresh off his hit "Instant Replay". He hired the guitarist to front his band for a "lip-synch tour" of Europe and the US. Upon his return to the East coast Smith moved to Manhattan and became the guitarist for Gilda Radner's 1979 Broadway show "Gilda Live". Radner and Smith became friends; shortly afterward they got married.

During that period of Smith's life another big break took place when the blue-eyed soulsters Daryl Hall and John Oates came calling. Not only was Smith hired to play lead guitar for Hall & Oates, he stayed for six years (1979-85)  constantly touring and recording with them, racking up hit after hit with songs like "Private Eyes", "Man Eater", "Kiss On My List" and others.

G.E.'s hard work earned him a commanding position in the music industry as a first call blues/rock guitarist, sought out by major recording artists like Mick Jagger, who, shortly after Live Aid, called Smith to work with him on his first solo album, She's the Boss.

When Hall & Oates decided to take a long break from the music scene, Smith was chosen to be musical director for Saturday Night Live. Leading the SNL band for 10 years, it was arguably the best late-night band on television at the time - and G.E. won an Emmy.

The SNL roster of guest musicians read like a Who's Who of contemporary music: Eddie Van Halen, Keith Richards, Rickie Lee Jones, Al Green, Bryan Ferry, et al. In fact, many of the best musical (surprise) moments came when G.E. invited guitar heroes to play with the band, unannounced. Eddie Van Halen was the first, followed by an amazing roster that included David Gilmour, Lonnie Mack, Dave Edmonds, Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy, and others. The Buddy Guy visit eventually resulted in the 1996 Grammy-nominated Buddy Guy - Live CD, with G.E. and the SNL
band.

During his SNL years Smith was also honored to be the musical director for special events such as the 1988 Emmy Awards, the 1993 Rhythm and Blues Foundation Awards and the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert at Madison Square Garden. Smith acted as musical director at the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame Museum Concert in Cleveland. Following his departure from Saturday Night Live in 95', Smith and his wife, singer/songwriter Taylor Barton created their new label Green Mirror Music.

"I've had an incredible ride in the world of Rock N' Roll and American music," says Smith, looking back over his career. GE Smith is possibly one of the most brilliant guitarist's out there.