Gary Smith, Pixies / Blake Babies producer and Fort Apache Studios owner, has died

Gary Smith, the producer who owned legendary Boston studio For Apache Studios and worked on records by Pixies, Throwing Muses, Billy Bragg, Blake Babies and more, has died following a short illness. While there has not been an official statement that we’ve seen, many of his friends and artists he’s worked with have posted tributes.

Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses and Belly, posted a picture of her and Gary together, writing simply, “So much to say (but can’t today)💔 I ✨love✨you, G”:

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‘ Fun & Games, and The Feelies‘ Time for a Witness, and he also worked on records by Billy Bragg, Scrawl, 10,000 Maniacs, and more.

“If anyone ever really ‘discovered’ a band, Gary discovered Blake Babies. We were struggling when we met Gary,” The Blake Babies’ John Strohm wrote in a long Facebook tribute. “Gary came to our show one night at The Rat, strode right up to us when we came offstage and said, ”I love your band. I own a studio. Would you like to make a record?” Storybook stuff. We went to Fort Apache that night, and it instantly became our favorite place on earth. A place he made with a few buddies with an idea and whatever cash they could scrape up. They built a young musician’s paradise.”

Juliana Hatfield, who worked with Gary in The Blake Babies and in her solo career, just posted a picture of them together from back in the day.

Billy Bragg also wrote a long tribute on Facebook to Gary, who he called “one of my dearest friends,” writing, “Gary was the kind of guy who could make things happen. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.”

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), and more.

Rest in peace, Gary. Read more tributes below.

https://twitter.com/TanyaDonelly/status/1615425898903179272