THE LOUIE REPORT
SEPTEMBER 2001- FOUR
by Eric Predoehl
first posted September 17, 2001 (all rights reserved)

IN MEMORY OF THE FALLEN, or ROCK AND ROLL HEAVEN BUILDS AN EXPANSION SITE

Michael "Smitty" Smith was the drummer for Paul Revere and the Raiders from 1962 until 1967. One of the earliest, if not the first rock group on Columbia Records, Paul Revere & the Raiders sold 40 million records for the label, providing the Beatles and the Rolling Stones with some serious competition in the 1960s. Their first single for Columbia was their rendition of "Louie Louie," which was actually more popular in certain regions, than the Kingsmen's version, which was recorded the same week in the same Portland, Oregon recording studio. Providing an American answer to the British invasion, Paul Revere & the Raiders were true pioneers for the music video revolution, some twenty years before the birth of MTV. With madcap antics inspired by the Marx Brothers, Revere & the Raiders reached into the living rooms of millions of teenagers with their television show "Where the Action Is."

By all accounts, Michael "Smitty" Smith provided some great comic relief in the band, as both the source and instigator of many practical jokes. Everyone that knew him had nothing but praise for him as a fine human being that truly cared about others. In my research on LOUIE LOUIE, his name came up many times, but unfortunately, I never had a chance to meet him. There are some excellent words written about him at a special tribute page at the official Paul Revere & the Raiders page, and various fan pages. I encourage all fans to explore these pages:

http://www.paulrevereraiders.com

http://www.marklindsay.com

http://www.geocities.com/smittygirl76/

(Excerpt courtesy Eric Predoehl's Louie Report at LouieLouie.net.)