| Larry Smith | |
|---|---|
 Smith in 1983 | |
|
Birth name |
Lawrence Smith |
|
Born |
June 11, 1952 |
|
Died |
December 19, 2014 (aged 62) |
|
Genres |
|
|
Occupation(s) |
Record producer |
|
Years active |
1979-1994 |
|
Associated acts |
The Fat Boys, Kurtis Blow, Run-D.M.C., Russell Simmons, Jimmy Spicer, Whodini |
Lawrence "Larry" Smith (June 11, 1952 - December 19, 2014) was a pioneering American hip hop record producer. He is best known for his co-productions of Run-D.M.C.'s albums Run-D.M.C. in 1984 and King of Rock in 1985 alongside Russell Simmons, and his solo production of Whodini's Escape in 1984 and Back in Black in 1986. It is a measure of Smith's creative range that he could work simultaneously with the decidely dissimilar Run-D.M.C. and Whodini, as the former was rock-oriented while the latter leaned toward R&B.
Smith's work has garnered not just critical acclaim, but popular success. Both Run-D.M.C. and Escape were certified Gold by the RIAA in February 1985, as was The Fat Boys' eponymous debut album, on which Smith played bass and helped to compose the hit single "Jail House Rap". These were among the very first hip hop albums to be certified for Gold-level sales by the RIAA.
In November 2007, Smith suffered a stroke that left him unable to speak. He died on December 19, 2014 at the age of 62 in Queens, New York.