Curt Smith 2108221 225445921 2008-07-13T19:03:22Z Sir Samuel 4201544 {{For|the author|Curt Smith (author)}} {{Infobox Musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians --> | Name = Curt Smith | Img = Curt_Smith_08.jpg | Img_size = 320 | Img_capt = Curt Smith, 2008, by Justine Ungaro | Background = solo_singer | Born = {{birth date and age|1961|06|24}} | Origin = [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], [[Somerset]], [[England]] | Instrument = [[Singer|Vocals]], [[Bass guitar|bass]], [[Keyboard instrument|keyboards]] | Genre = [[Pop music|Pop]], [[Rock music|rock]] | Occupation = [[Musician]], [[songwriter]], [[record producer]] | Years_active = 1978–1993, 1997–present | Label = KOOK Media, Zerodisc, [[Mercury Records|Mercury]], XIII BIS | Associated_acts = [[Tears For Fears]], [[Graduate (band)| Graduate]], Neon }} '''Curt Smith''' (born [[June 24]] [[1961]], [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], [[Somerset]], [[England]]) is an [[English people|English]] [[singer]], [[bassist]], [[synthesizer]] player and [[songwriter]]. He is best known for forming the [[band (music)|band]] [[Tears for Fears]], along with [[childhood]] friend [[Roland Orzabal]]. Now also a solo artist, he released his third album ''Halfway, Pleased'' in May 2008. ==Musical Groups== ===Graduate=== Smith met Roland Orzabal when both were teenagers. They first formed a band at school, for which Smith taught himself to play bass guitar. They next formed the [[ska]] influenced band [[Graduate (band)|Graduate]]<ref> Erlewine, Stephen Thomas [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0ifpxqr5ldse~T1 "Tears for Fears"]. ''[[Allmusic]]''.</ref> , which achieved fame in Europe, and released its only album in 1980. ===Neon=== They next were in the band Neon. Fellow band members included Pete Byrne and Rob Fisher who went on to become the duo [[Naked Eyes]]. ===Tears for Fears=== {{main|Tears for Fears}} After Graduate and Neon disbanded, Smith and Orzabal founded [[Tears for Fears]]. Their debut album, 1982’s landmark ''[[The Hurting]]'', produced three international bestselling singles – "[[Change (Tears for Fears song)|Change]]," "[[Mad World]]", and "[[Pale Shelter]]" – each with lead vocals provided by Smith. Their 1985 album ''[[Songs from the Big Chair]]'' was even more successful, yielding hits including "[[Everybody Wants to Rule the World]]" (with Smith again on lead vocals), "[[Shout (Tears for Fears song)|Shout]]," and "Head Over Heels” (which Smith co-wrote). The duo spent the next several years recording their 1990 album ''[[The Seeds of Love]],'' which proved to be another international bestseller. Smith’s last single as a lead vocalist with the group was Seeds’ "Advice For The Young At Heart." They were asked to perform at [[Live Aid]], but declined due to the stress of promoting their own material constantly without a break. Increasing tensions between himself and Orzabal prompted Smith to leave the band<ref>Anderson, Linda [http://www.lexxicon.com/curtsmith.htm "lexxicon.com talks to: CURT SMITH"]. ''[[lexxicon.com]]''.1997.</ref> shortly after the album’s release and he moved to New York. In 2000, routine paperwork obligations led to Orzabal and Smith's first conversation in nearly a decade. The two patched up their differences and began writing (with Pettus) 2004’s ''[[Everybody Loves a Happy Ending]].'' In the meantime, “Mad World” was covered by [[Gary Jules]] and included on the [[Donnie Darko]] soundtrack. Having reached the top of the UK singles chart at Christmas 2003, it re-ignited interest in the group's earlier work and their 1992 Greatest Hits album was re-released. ==Solo albums== ===Soul on Board=== After leaving Tears for Fears in 1991, Smith recorded his first solo album ''[[Soul On Board (Curt Smith Album)|Soul On Board]].'' The album met with limited success in the UK, and was not released at all in the U.S. ===Mayfield=== After moving to [[New York City|New York]], Smith formed the band Mayfield with guitarist-producer Charlton Pettus and which also featured Russ Irwin. The band was mostly a live band, as Smith wanted to play gigs in small clubs. The band did release a self-titled album, which met with little success. Smith later released the album '[[Aeroplane (Curt Smith Album)|Aeroplane]]'. In the U.S., this was a six song [[Extended play|EP]], but in Canada and elsewhere, it was essentially the earlier Mayfield album combined with additional songs from the U.S. EP. ===Halfway, Pleased=== {{main|Halfway, Pleased}} During 2001 Smith began work on what was to become ''Halfway, Pleased'', but the project was put on hold when he began speaking to Roland Orzabal again after 9 years of silence. Their conversations culminated in TFF reforming for 2004’s ''[[Everybody Loves a Happy Ending]]'' which led to a worldwide tour, so it wasn’t until 2006 that Smith resumed work on "Halfway, Pleased." The semi-autobiographical album explores Smith’s relationships with his children, parents and friends. In April 2007, French record label XIII Bis Records released ''Halfway, Pleased'' in France. Its 14 tracks included the original version of "Who You Are" (which was recorded by Tears for Fears on Everybody Loves a Happy Ending); a live version of "Snow Hill" from the 2005 Tears for Fears UK tour; the single version of "Seven Of Sundays" (also recorded as a duet with French singer SO); and a cover of "On Ira Tous au Paradis" (also available on A Tribute to Polnareff). Two music videos were made for "Seven of Sundays" – one of the solo track, and one of the duet with SO. All the songs except "Seven of Sundays” were co-written by Smith and Pettus. The solo version of “Seven of Sundays” was co-written by Pettus and Chesney Hawkes; Smith and Sophie Saillet helped adapt the song for the duet version. Smith finally released the album in the U.S. and the rest of the world in May 2008 via his own KOOK Media label.<ref>Hasty, Katie. [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/search/google/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003725929 "Tears For Fears' Smith Goes 'Halfway' Solo"] ''[[Billboard]]''. [[March 14]], [[2008]]</ref> The KOOK release features a slightly different track lineup, eliminating the Ponareff tribute and adding two new acoustic tracks (“Coming Out” and “Seven of Sundays”). It was released under a [[Creative Commons]] license<ref>Parkins, Cameron. [http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/8309 "Curt Smith Releases “Halfway, Pleased”"] [[Creative Commons blog]] [[May 22]], [[2008]],</ref> which allows fans to distribute, perform and use the songs so long as the uses are non-commercial and attributed to Smith. ==Personal life== ===Childhood=== In his early years in Bath, Smith attended the [[Beechen Cliff School]] and lived on the Snow Hill council estate (subject of the track “Snow Hill”). ===Family=== Smith has been married to marketing executive Frances Pennington since 1996. They live in Los Angeles with their two daughters, Diva and Wilder<ref>Casagrande, Reggie. [http://www.lipsticktracez.com/features/feature/29/1 "Indie Dad Profile: Curt, Diva and Wilder"]. ''[[Lipstick Tracez]]''. May, 2008.</ref> ===Hobbies=== Smith is a longtime football fan and supports [[Manchester United F.C.]] He was guest commentator for the Champions Soccer Radio Network;s UEFA Champions League 2008 Finals pre-game show.<ref> CSRN. [http://www.csrnusa.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=175&Itemid=65 "Champions Soccer Radio Network - Curt Smith - Tears for Fears"]. ''[[Champions Soccer Radio Network]]''. [[May 22]], [[2008]].</ref> ===Nationality=== Smith became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2007, and supports Barack Obama in the 2008 U.S. presidential race<ref>Smith, Curt. [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/curt-smith/halfway-pleased_b_100830.html "Halfway Pleased"]. ''[[Huffington Post]]''. [[May 8]], [[2008]].</ref>. ==See also== *[[Tears for Fears]] *[[Roland Orzabal]] *[[Ian Stanley]] *[[Manny Elias]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.curtsmithofficial.com Official Website] *[http://www.myspace.com/119212191 Curt Smith's MySpace] *[http://www.facebook.com/pages/Curt-Smith/7675932741?ref=ts Curt Smith's Facebook] *[http://www.virb.com/curtsmith Curt Smith on Virb] *[http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/curtsmith Rolling Stone - Curt Smith] * {{imdb name|id=0807785}} {{Unreferenced|date=January 2008}} {{Tears for Fears}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Curt}} [[Category:1961 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:English male singers]] [[Category:English songwriters]] [[Category:Tears for Fears members]] [[Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States]] [[ca:Curt Smith]] [[es:Curt Smith]] [[fr:Curt Smith]] [[it:Curt Smith]] [[pt:Curt Smith]]