Conspirator
Tony “Thunder” Smith
Lou Reed’s longest-serving drummer. We played in Lou’s band together from 2008 to 2011.
Tony “Thunder” Smith is an American drummer, born in San Francisco, who played with Malo and on Santana’s Welcome (1973) before moving to New York for the Jan Hammer Group, and then spent four years as Serge Gainsbourg’s drummer. He held Lou Reed’s drum chair longer than any other drummer, recording Set the Twilight Reeling (1996), Perfect Night: Live in London (1998), Ecstasy (2000), The Raven (2003) and Berlin: Live at St. Ann’s Warehouse (2008). He is Professor of Percussion at Berklee College of Music.
The creditTony “Thunder” Smith and Sarth Calhoun played together in Lou Reed’s band: the spring 2008 U.S. tour, Lollapalooza 2009, and the 2011 European tour.
Lou Reed’s band
He was the drummer in the band around Lou at the first rehearsals at SIR in April 2008 and on the spring 2008 U.S. tour, at Lollapalooza 2009, and in the eight-piece band on the 2011 European tour, where I was on Continuum and Kyma.
Left to rightRob Wasserman, Mike Rathke, Lou Reed, Sarth Calhoun, Tony “Thunder” Smith, John Zorn, Steve Hunter, Kevin Hearn. Highline Ballroom, May 5, 2008. Named by Sarth Calhoun, September 23, 2026. Photo: Mark McGauley.
My thoughts
The profile is from public sources, linked where they appear. What we made is the record on this site and the sources cited above.