Snuff Garrett

Who is Snuff Garrett?

Thomas Lesslie "Snuff" Garrett is a retired American record producer whose most famous work was during the 1960s and 1970s. His nickname is a play on Levi Garrett's Snuff, a brand of snuff.

At seventeen, he was a disc jockey in Lubbock, Texas, where he met Buddy Holly. He is often still mentioned on the Lubbock oldies station KDAV on a program hosted by his friend Jerry "Bo" Coleman. Garrett also worked in radio in Wichita Falls, Texas, where he performed on-air stunts. On February 3, 1959, Garrett broadcast his own tribute show to Holly after he was killed in a plane crash in Iowa.

In 1959, Garrett became a producer at Liberty Records in Hollywood. His first job as producer for the label was on Johnny Burnette's "Settin The Woods On Fire" on July 9, 1959. Among Garrett's roster of artists were Bobby Vee, Johnny Burnette, Gene McDaniels, Buddy Knox, Walter Brennan, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, and later Cher of Sonny & Cher. He was also responsible for hiring Phil Spector for a short period as an assistant producer for Liberty. Later Garrett had his own record label, Snuff Garrett Records and Viva Records.