Gayle McCormick, most well known for fronting L.A. soul rock group Smith in the late '60s, died this week following a battle with cancer. She was 67 years old. According to Vintage Vinyl News, McCormick passed away on Tuesday (March 1) in St. Louis. She had apparently discovered she had cancer after being hospitalized last year for pneumonia. McCormick's music career had begun in the mid-60s in Missouri, where she performed with Steve Cummings & the Klassmen. She moved to California with the band, but left the group upon arriving on the West Coast. From there, she hooked up with an act called the Smiths (not to be confused with the later group from the UK), who changed their name to Smith by the release of 1969's debut album, A Group Called Smith. Read more http://exclaim.ca/music/article/r_i_p_smith_vocalist_gayle_mccormick
