Chas Smith held a Master's Degree in Music from Cleveland State University, where his class Roots of Rock and Soul and American Pop culture was the largest-attendance class offered (over 200 each quarter), and he also completed a textbook on the subject for Kendall-Hunt Publishing. He directed and played keyboards and theremin for Einstein's Secret Orchestra and Cobra Verde, and programmed ESO Swamp Radio at WCSB 89.3 FM in Cleveland starting in 1987. Chas died on October 16th, 2007.