Barry “Frosty” Smith Passes Barry “Frosty” Smith died this past April 12. The drummer, known by many for his work with the popular soul-rock organist and singer Lee Michaels, worked in multiple genres since the late 1960s, and his devotees included none other than John Bonham, as well as a countless number of drummers in Austin, Texas, where he made his home in 1981. Smith was born in Bellingham, Washington, and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, and was a child tap-dance prodigy who studied classical piano before taking up the drums. The nickname Frosty was derived from his chosen stage name of Bartholomew Eugene Smith-Frost, as he was credited on Lee Michaels albums. The few available videos of this duo provide great insight into the drummer’s early command of the instrument, while the ten-minute solo “Frosty’s” from Michaels’ self-titled 1969 LP is a master class in phrasing, textures, […]

September 2017 Issue