Fred Smith, the longtime bassist of the fundamental New York punk band Television, died on Thursday (February 5). The group confirmed the news Saturday (February 8) on their official social media, sharing that Smith died after an unspecific illness. He was 77 years old.
Smith began his career playing bass with Debbie Harry and Chris Stein in their band Angel and the Snake, which would go on to become Blondie. He left the band in 1975 to join Television alongside frontman Tom Verlaine, guitarist Richard Lloyd, and drummer Billy Ficca, replacing founding bassist and songwriter Richard Hell. Despite his departure for Television, Smith continued to collaborate with Blondie throughout the 1970s; the two bands often played together at CBGB’s. Reflecting on the period to MOJO Magazine in 2001, Smith shared: “Blondie was like a sinking ship and Television was my favorite band.”
Smith released his first song with Television, “Little Johnny Jewel,” on Ork Records in 1975. It became an underground hit and, crucially, drew the eyes of major labels. After releasing an EP on Stiff Records in 1976, Television signed with Elektra and began work on their debut album, 1977’s influential Marquee Moon. The record became a foundational release in post-1970 alt-rock, heavily influencing the post-punk and new wave scenes that flourished in the US in the 1980s and becoming a touchstone album for generations to follow. Smith remained with the band on through their second album, 1978’s Adventure, until their split that same year. When Television reunited in 1992 to release their third, self-titled album, Smith was right there alongside the founding members, and he continued touring with them into the 2000s.
Across his career, Smith brought his talents to an array of different artists and bands, including the Roches, Willie Nile, Peregrins, and the Revelons. He also toured and recorded with the Fleshtones between 1988 and 1989, and appeared on solo albums from Lloyd and Verlaine. Outside of music, Smith was a wine connoisseur, and began making his own with his wife, Paula Cereghino, in their Lower East Side apartment in 1999. They went on to establish a vineyard, Cereghino Smith, in the Hudson Valley in 2007.
In a tribute to Smith, Television’s Jimmy Rip—who permanently joined the band in 2007 after Lloyd’s departure—wrote: “If you are a lover of melodic bass lines and counterpoint, you could go to school on what Fred created so effortlessly. He was a natural—never flashy, always essential—always serving the song in ways that only the greatest musicians can.”
Read Rip’s full statement below, and read more about Television in Jayson Greene’s column Television’s Tom Verlaine Changed the Guitar for the Rock Underground.
