Joseph William Feliciano Smith, known professionally as Joey Smith and Pepe Smith, was born on December 25, 1947, in Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines, and was a Filipino-American singer-songwriter, drummer, and guitarist. He began playing drums at age nine and formed his first rock band by eleven. In 1968, he formed an early version of the Juan de la Cruz Band, a pioneering figure in original Filipino rock music or Pinoy rock. The following year, Smith moved to Japan and joined the supergroup Speed, Glue & Shinki, with whom he released two studio albums, Eve (1971) and a final studio album in 1972. Upon returning to the Philippines due to martial law, he rejoined the Juan de la Cruz Band in 1973. Smith composed one of their most iconic songs, "Himig Natin", which became a rock anthem in the Philippines. He passed away on January 28, 2019.
