He was a one hit wonder as a singer in 1973, but Norm “Hurricane” Smith had a subtle but powerful influence on the Keener sound as the guy who turned the dials for 180 Beatle recordings. As an engineer at EMI, he worked closely with George Martin to create the unique sound that launched Liverpool Lads on the international stage. After completing Rubber Soul in 1965, Smith was promoted to producer and crafted three Pink Floyd albums, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn”, “A Saucerful of Secrets”, and “Ummagumma”. 8 years later, he sang a demo of a self-penned song called “Oh Babe, What Would You Say“ hoping to convince another artist to record it. As the story goes, fellow producer Mickie Most convinced Smith to release the track himself. 1973 was a year when unique voices like Dr. John, David Bowie and Al Green were first resonating with the public and Smith’s scratchy tenor sold well enough to make it to number 58 on Billboards year end hot 100. His yet-to-be released autobiography is titled “John Lennon Called Me Normal”?and a 2004 retrospective CD featured liner notes from Paul McCartney and members of Pink Floyd. Smith passed away on March 3rd at the age of 85.