Joe Smith started out in the 50’s as a disc jockey at two of Boston’s top-rated stations, WMEX and WILD. He co-produced Alan Freed’s infamous Boston concert and survived the payola investigation before becoming an executive in the recording industry. The Yale-educated Smith worked at Warner Bros., Elektra/Asylum and Capitol/EMI, and was responsible for signing artists including The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix and Garth Brooks.He is the author of Off The Record, a collection of over 200 hours of interviews with over 200 musicians, from Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger to Ray Charles and Lionel Hampton. Smith recently donated the tapes to the Library of Congress, which will post them on its website. He is currently enjoying life in Beverly Hills.