Gary Smith, the producer who owned legendary Boston studio Fort Apache Studios and worked on records by the Pixies, Throwing Muses, Billy Bragg, Blake Babies and more, has died following a short illness.
Among the albums Gary produced: Pixies' first EP, Come on Pilgrim, Throwing Muses' House Tornado, Blake Babies' Earwig and Sunburn, The Chills' Submarine Bells, The Connells' , and The Feelies' Time for a Witness, and he also worked on records by Billy Bragg, Scrawl, 10,000 Maniacs, and more.
Records recorded at Fort Apache, at least partially, include Radiohead's Pablo Honey, Weezer's Pinkerton, Superdrag's Regretfully Yours, Uncle Tupelo's No Dpression, Dinosaur Jr's Bug and Green Mind, Lemonheads' Lovey, Mighty Mighty Bosstones' Let's Face It (and more), Morphine's Cure for Pain, Buffalo Tom's first three albums, Sebadoh's III (and more)
Artist: Blake Babies
Album: Earwig
Song: "Cesspool"
1989 Mammoth Records
Artist: Blake Babies
Album: Sunburn
Song: "Star"
1990 Mammoth Records
Actress Annie Wersching, best known for her roles in the television shows 24, Bosch and Timeless, died of cancer early this morning, her publicist confirmed to Deadline. She was 45.
Wersching continued to shoot even after her 2020 diagnosis, with prominent roles in Star Trek: Picard as the Borg queen in Season 2, and The Rookie. She also voiced Tess in the popular The Last Of Us video game, which was adapted into a TV series by HBO.
Wersching’s husband, actor Stephen Full, issued a statement. “There is a cavernous hole in the soul of this family today. But she left us the tools to fill it. She found wonder in the simplest moment. She didn’t require music to dance. She taught us not to wait for adventure to find you. ‘Go find it. It’s everywhere.’ And find it we shall.
Atlanta Rhythm Section Founding Member and keyboardist Dean Daughtry, Dies at 76
Quote:Dean Daughtry, the keyboardist and a founding member of the Southern rock band the Atlanta Rhythm Section, who evolved from the ’60s group, the Classics IV, died today (Jan. 26, 2023) at age 76. Poor health had forced him to retire in recent years, after 49 years with the band. The news of his passing, from an undisclosed cause, was announced by the band on their Facebook page. Among ARS’ biggest hits were a pair of laid back singles co-written by Daughtry, “So in to You” and “Imaginary Lover,” both of which reached #7, as well as a cover of the Classic IV’s “Spooky.”
Formed in the spring of 1970 by Daughtry, singer Rodney Justo, drummer Robert Nix, guitarist J.R. Cobb, former members of the Candymen and Classics IV, along with guitarist Barry Bailey, the Atlanta Rhythm Section became the session band for the newly opened Studio One recording studio in Doraville, Ga.
After playing on other artists’ recordings, the Atlanta Rhythm Section was formed. The group’s name was conceived by Studio One’s owner Buddy Buie and his two partners in the venture, J.R. Cobb and Bill Lowery.
Originally signed by Decca Records, the band released its first album, Atlanta Rhythm Section, in January 1972, which was followed with Back Up Against the Wall the following year. Several others followed. Though considered a Southern rock band, the addition of Ronnie Hammond as front man (who replaced original lead singer Rodney Justo), led them toward a more laid-back sound, incorporating Barry Bailey’s distinctive lead guitar and bassist Paul Goddard’s use of a flat pick, with Daughtry’s acoustic and electric piano frequently at the forefront.
In 1978 they released what would turn out to be their most successful album, Champagne Jam (1978), which led off with the song “Large Time,” a tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd, some of whom had lost their lives in a plane crash the previous October. The album also included “Imaginary Lover.”
The eighth ARS album (and sixth for Polydor), Underdog, was released in 1979 and produced Top 20 U.S. hits “Do It or Die” (#19) and “Spooky” (#17).
As the band wrote in their tribute to Daughtry, “While ARS is known to be a guitar centric band, just listen to the recordings and you’ll realize the contribution that Dean brought to the band. From the first chord of “So Into You,” and the introduction to “Imaginary Lover,” he left his imprint on the bands recordings.
“For 49 years he never missed a gig, until his health forced him to retire a couple of years ago, cutting short his goal of 50 years. He was like a Bulldog, but his friends knew him as “OX.”
After his years with the Candymen, Daughtry, born Sept. 8, 1946, left to join the Classics IV, founded by vocalist Dennis Yost, in time to record the late ’60s hits, “Stormy” and “Traces.” Their final hit was 1969’s “Every Day With You Girl.”
Artist: Atlanta Rhythm Section
Album: A Rock and Roll Alternative
Song: "So Into You"
Recorded at: Studio One, Doraville, Georgia
December 1976 Polydor Records
Artist: Atlanta Rhythm Section
Album: Champagne Jam
Song: "Imaginary Lover"
Recorded at: Studio One, Doraville, Georgia
January 1978 Polydor Records
RE: New Grim Reaper Death Thread 
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