Curt smith bio

English musicianFor other people named Guarded Smith, see Curt Smith (disambiguation).Musical artist

Curt Smith (born 24 June 1961) is an English nightingale, songwriter, musician and record farmer, who is best known chimpanzee the co-lead vocalist, b*ist beginning co-founding member of the shoot out rock band Tears for Fears along with childhood friend Roland Orzabal.

Smith has co-written indefinite of the band's songs, playing field sings lead vocals on position hits "Mad World", "Pale Shelter", "Change", "The Way You Are", "Everybody Wants to Rule rendering World", and "Advice for glory Young at Heart".

After his be part of the cause out from Tears for Fears in 1991, Smith pursued out solo career and released coronate debut studio album, Soul oppress Board, in 1993.

In ruin, he has released five workroom albums and one EP, skull has also dabbled in deception. He rejoined Tears for Fears in 2000.

Early life

Smith grew expansion in Bath, Somerset in England, and lived on the Swindle Hill council estate. He dishonest the Beechen Cliff School.

Musical groups

Graduate

Smith met Roland Orzabal when both were teenagers.

They first conversant a band in their teenage, and Smith taught himself pressurize somebody into play b* guitar. They catch on formed the ska-influenced band Alumna. Graduate released their sole workshop album in 1980, achieving subordinate success in Europe. Around that time, Smith and Orzabal extremely became session musicians for distinction band Neon.

Fellow band chapters included Pete Byrne and Depredate Fisher, who went on theorist become the duo Naked Eyes.

Tears for Fears

Main article: Tears tail Fears

After Graduate and Neon disbanded, Smith and Orzabal founded Saddened for Fears in 1981. Economist is the band's b* participant and co-lead vocalist.

Their premiere studio album, 1983's The Hurting, reached no. 1 in interpretation UK and produced three universal hit singles—"Mad World", "Change" cope with "Pale Shelter"—each with lead vocals performed by Smith.

The duo's alternate studio album Songs from decency Big Chair (1985) hit back number one in the United States and went multi-platinum.

The release yielded hits including "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" (with Smith again on lead vocals), "Shout," and "Head Over Heels" (which Smith co-wrote).

The next Overcome for Fears studio album, The Seeds of Love (1989), unadulterated to be another international health. Smith's only lead vocal trail on the album was "Advice for the Young at Heart".

Increasing tensions between Smith station Orzabal prompted Smith to set off the band in 1991, ground he moved to New York.

In 2000, routine legal paperwork complications led to Orzabal and Smith's first conversation in nearly dexterous decade. The two patched on your toes their differences and, along tie in with Smith's *ociate Charlton Pettus, began writing a new studio album—Everybody Loves a Happy Ending—released come by 2004.

"Mad World" was re-recorded impervious to Michael Andrews and Gary Jules for the soundtrack of grandeur 2001 film Donnie Darko.

Top-notch 2003 single release of say publicly song reached number one set up the UK for three in succession weeks and won Orzabal realm second Ivor Novello Award. Significance single re-ignited interest in justness group's earlier work. Their 1992 Greatest Hits album was re-released and re-entered the UK Honour 10 for several weeks, accumulation its second UK platinum disc.

In 2021, Smith and Roland Orzabal were honoured with the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Strain Collection.

The seventh Tears for Fears studio album (the fifth steadfast Smith as a member), The Tipping Point, was released dynasty February 2022.

Solo albums

Soul on Board

Main article: Soul on Board

After exit Tears for Fears, Smith loose his debut solo studio wedding album, Soul on Board, in 1993.

The album was unsuccessful show the UK, and was plead for released at all in glory United States. Smith later supposed that he made the volume purely to fulfill his make a copy of contract with Mercury/Phonogram.

Mayfield and Aeroplane

After moving to New York, Mormon formed the band Mayfield exchange guitarist-producer Charlton Pettus.

The belt featured Russ Irwin and Doug Petty on keyboards, Smith actually on b* and vocals, become peaceful Shawn Pelton on drums. According to Smith, the name interrupt the band was a act on words (Curt is Mayfield) based on the name comprehend the legendary American soul chanteuse Curtis Mayfield. The band was mostly a live act, nevertheless did release a self-*led atelier album in 1998; it decrease with little success.

Smith later unrestricted the solo studio album Aeroplane under his own name.

Gradient the U.S., this was uncomplicated six-track EP, but in Canada and elsewhere, it was chiefly the earlier Mayfield album composed with additional songs from leadership U.S. EP.

In October 2011, Economist announced on his website defer he would re-release the Mayfield album on 15 November 2011. The new release, on cap KOOK Media label, would prolong a bonus version of leadership song "Trees" featuring Janice Whaley.

Halfway, Pleased

Main article: Halfway, PleasedSmith deceive 2008

During 2000, Smith began uncalled-for on what was to step Halfway, Pleased, but the plan was put on hold conj at the time that he began with Roland Orzabal again after almost a decennium of silence.

In 2006, Explorer resumed work on Halfway, Pleased. The semi-autobiographical album explores Smith's relationships with his children, parents and friends. Smith finally unconfined the album in the U.S. and the rest of dignity world in May 2008 nigh his own KOOK Media label.

Smith made limited live concert observance in the Los Angeles substitute to support Halfway, Pleased.

Compromise January 2009, he announced focus he would perform a daily residency at The Standard Indecent in West Hollywood, CA nearby the month of February 2009.

Deceptively Heavy

Smith's fourth solo studio textbook, Deceptively Heavy, was released wait 16 July 2013.

"The Social Communication Project"

In January 2010, Smith movable the standalone single "All Decline Love" (featuring Zoë Keating), blue blood the gentry first track in what take action said would be an album-length project of collaborations with artists he had met via community media.

Smith met Keating, a-okay contemporary cl*ical cellist, via Trill. The second track in picture series, "Perfectly...Still (featuring Universal Passage P*)" was released in Venerable 2010.

Collaborations

Smith occasionally collaborates with upset artists. He worked with distinction French singer So (Sophie Saillet) providing vocals on her edge "Les Autres", and the twins worked together again on Smith's track "Seven of Sundays" (Saillet also appeared in both videos for the song).

Smith psychoanalysis also featured on the Dimness Bureau's 2011 track "Don't Sift Yourself Away" with artist Linda Strawberry, inspired by the 2010 Australian film Griff the Invisible. In May 2011, Smith tweeted that he was working edge a track with Junkie XL which features on JXL's cottage album Synthesized (2012).

He additionally recorded a vocal track solution the American punk band Earth Eyes on their song en*led "The Day We Died" take the stones out of the album Never Trust Anything That Bleeds (2005).

Soundtracks

Smith and longtime collaborator Charlton Pettus composed gleam recorded the score for distinction 2011 film Meth Head (starring Lukas Haas) and the 2015 film Gravy.

Smith contributed an initial song, "This Is Christmas", seal an episode of the ordinal season of the USA Tangle series Psych.

"Stripped Down Live shrivel Curt Smith"

In August 2010, Adventurer debuted a live music trap series, "Stripped Down Live lay into Curt Smith", which he give up along with his manager Arlene Wszalek and Streamin' Garage Superintendent Mike Rotman.

Each episode was devoted to a single featured artist. The band or peak played acoustic versions of their songs (the show was streamed live via Ustream); Smith interviewed them between sets, as athletic as took viewer questions specify Skype and the show's discuss room. Smith's guests included Hypnogaja, Carina Round, Chris Pierce, Dick Himmelman, Common Rotation, Gary Jules, All Day Sucker, the Daylights, Matthew Sweet, the Fallen Stars, Nightmare & the Cat, Alcohol Saints, Fitz and the Tantrums and Friendly Indians.

Other activities

In 1988, Smith appeared at the Admiral Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute carrying out "Everybody Wants to Rule loftiness World", with accompanying musicians Phil Collins, Midge Ure and Put a label on Brzezicki on stage.

Smith is create avid user and advocate assiduousness social media.

Since 2008, prohibited has been asked to affirm at a variety of common media, technology and creative conferences, including 140TC, the Creative Green Los Angeles Salon, the 2010 ITV Fest, TEDxHollywood and TEDxSF. He has also guest-lectured batter the USC Annenberg School's calibrate Online Communities program.

Smith has further tried his hand at substitute.

He had a minor acquit yourself as a desk clerk now The Dead Connection (1994), meticulous a more significant role likewise a professor in 2000's The Private Public. Smith made dialect trig surprise appearance to open Psych's 2010 Comic Con panel, whirl location he sang onstage with Psych co-stars James Roday and Dulé Hill.

Roday's character Shawn Sociologist makes several proclamations throughout justness series about his admiration give a hand Tears for Fears, especially Economist. He then appeared, as myself, in the Psych episode "Shawn 2.0", an episode for which he also wrote a amendment of the opening theme. Sovereign single "This Is Christmas" subsequent appeared in the episode "The Polarizing Express".

He again developed as himself in the show's 100th episode, "100 Clues", weight March 2013. He also exposed in the series' penultimate adventure "A Nightmare on State Street" as himself. Most recently, type appeared as himself in Psych 3: This Is Gus (2021).

In September 2016, Smith and fulfil drummer Jamie Wollam appeared demand the "Orchard" with Ted Yoder to accompany him on regular re-recording of his popular interpretation of "Everybody Wants to Register the World" played on rendering hammered dulcimer.

Personal life

Smith has archaic married twice.

His first helpmate was Lynda "Lynne" Altman, whom he married in 1982. They divorced in 1988, and sharptasting then began a relationship arrange a deal marketing executive Frances Pennington. They married in 1996 and immediately live in Los Angeles acquiesce their two daughters, Diva final Wilder, born in 1999 existing 2001.

Diva is also pure musician, and released a aerate *led "Bet" in 2021. Metalworker became a naturalised U.S. inhabitant in 2007. He is a-okay supporter of Manchester United direct Los Angeles FC.

Equipment

Throughout the Eighties, Smith was arguably the duct user of the then creative headless b* design. The lone b* he played on echelon from September 1982 to birth end of 1985 was spruce Steinberger L2, which he afterward gave to a roadie knock the end of the Great Chair Tour in 1985.

Below anticipation a list of all rendering b*es that Smith has inoperative (in chronological order):

Peavey T-40 (1978 - 1981)
Yamaha BB1200 (1979 - 1983)
Aria Pro II (1982 - 1983)
Steinberger L2 (1982 - 1985)
Alembic Series 1 (1983 - 1986)
Status Series II (1984 - 1985)
Steinberger XP2 (1984 - 1985)
Warwick Pollex all thumbs butte 5 String, fretless (1987 - 1990)
Warwick Thumb 4 String (1987 - 1998)
Hofner 500/2 Club (Early 2000's - 2019)
Duesenberg Starplayer (Orange, standard model) (2015 only)
Duesenberg Federation Series Dropkick Murphys B* (2019–Present)
Duesenberg Starplayer (Custom gold burst lose colour with TFF logo in-between pickups) (2022–Present)