In the 1960s, he notably engineered all of the Beatles' EMI studio recordings up to the end of 1965 and produced three Pink Floyd albums including their first, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967).

Smith began pursuing his interest in music after the war, playing drums and piano with several trad jazz combos.

[3] After an unsuccessful career as a jazz trumpeter and struggling as a session pianist and drummer,[4] Smith joined EMI as an apprentice sound engineer in 1959.

[6] As a reference to Smith's amiable and calm demeanor, John Lennon first bestowed upon him the nickname of "Normal" and it was quickly picked up by the other Beatles.

[7] In early 1967, he began working with Pink Floyd,[1] producing their first, second and fourth studio albums: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, A Saucerful of Secrets and Ummagumma.

Capitalising on his solo recording efforts, Smith undertook two tours of the then thriving north of England cabaret circuit, complete with band and dancers.

Smith also recorded an instrumental track, entitled "Theme From an Unmade Silent Movie", which the West Midlands based radio presenter Tony Butler adopted as his theme music, playing it frequently on his sports show in an attempt, often successful, to encourage the region's local football teams to score a goal.

In 2011, a snippet of Smith's "Don't Let It Die" was included in the soundtrack of Tomas Alfredson's 2011 film adaptation of John le Carré's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

The book contains never-before published pictures, newly revealed historical facts about the Beatles and Pink Floyd at Abbey Road Studios, as well as details of Smith's life as an RAF glider pilot.