Garth Smith and sometimes credited as Garth, was known for being one of the bassist

Bassist

A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...

s of the Bolton

Bolton

Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...

 formed punk rock

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 band, Buzzcocks

Buzzcocks

Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...

.

Biography

Smith was the original bassist of the band, playing in the debut concert in the Bolton Institute of Technology, where the main founders of the band, guitarist Pete Shelley

Pete Shelley

Pete Shelley is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the leader of Buzzcocks.-Biography:...

 and vocalist Howard Devoto

Howard Devoto

Howard Devoto is an English rock and roll singer-songwriter, who began his career as the frontman for the punk band Buzzcocks, but then left to form Magazine, one of the first post-punk bands...

, were students, on 1 April 1976.

He rejoined the band after Devoto left and Shelley took the lead vocalist role, around March 1977, when the band played gigs

Concert

A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...

 again. The band recorded and released some material with him, such as The Roxy London WC2 (June, 1977), a various artists compilation album

Compilation album

A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...

 of bands who played live at The Roxy; and the first Joy Division

Joy Division

Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...

's live recording Short Circuit

Short Circuit: Live at the Electric Circus

Short Circuit: Live at the Electric Circus is a compilation album of songs recorded live at the Electric Circus, Manchester, on the 1st and 2 October 1977, two concerts marking the last nights of the venue before it closed...

; he also took part in the first Peel sessions and recorded the "Orgasm Addict

Orgasm Addict

"Orgasm Addict" is a single by punk rock band Buzzcocks and its B-side is "Whatever Happened To...?" The song later appeared on the album Singles Going Steady and also on CD reissues of Another Music in a Different Kitchen....

" single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

. Around October 1977, he was expelled from the band, due to his alcoholism

Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...

.

He moved to New York

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 and by 1980, he joined Dirty Looks.

During the late 1980s, Smith played bass guitar

Bass guitar

The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

 for the Manchester

Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

 based band, Temper Temper, fronted by David Aldred. Smith played bass on their debut album, History of England.

Since then, little of his whereabouts are known. In 1988, he sent a condolence card to Pete Shelley on the death of his father. As of 2011, he supports Tyldesley

Tyldesley

Tyldesley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It occupies an area north of Chat Moss near the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, east-southeast of Wigan and west-northwest of the city of Manchester...

Rugby Union Club. Garth currently plays in a Tyldesley band, Young Once.

External links

• Buzzcocks.com - Discography Info about Garth Smith and other Buzzcocks members