Paul Samwell-Smith

Paul Samwell-Smith (born Paul Smith, 8 May 1943, in Richmond, Surrey) is an English musician and record producer. He was a founding member and the bassist of the 1960s English rock band The Yardbirds, which launched leading guitarists Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page to fame. As a youth, Samwell-Smith attended Hampton School with The Yardbirds drummer Jim McCarty. While in The Yardbirds, he co-produced and engineered much of their music, working with record producers such as Mickie Most, Simon Napier-Bell and Giorgio Gomelsky. He left The Yardbirds in June 1966 to pursue a career as a music producer.