Fred 'Sonic' Smith

Professional Trajectory

Frederick Dewey Smith (September 14, 1949 – November 4, 1994), known by his stage name Fred "Sonic" Smith, was an American guitarist. Smith is best known as a member of the band MC5. He later went on to form Sonic's Rendezvous Band, which released one single, "City Slang", during Smith's lifetime. Smith was born in West Virginia. He and his band opened a show for singer and poet Patti Smith. Patti Smith's guitarist, Lenny Kaye, introduced Fred and Patti before the show. The two were married in 1980. He and Smith collaborated on her 1988 album Dream of Life. A resident of St. Clair Shores, Michigan (a Detroit suburb), Fred Smith died in Detroit in 1994. The apparent cause was heart failure.