Judge Smith

Judge Smith
Judge Smith performing The Climber in USF Verftet, Bergen, Norway, 9 May 2009
Background information
Birth name	Christopher John Judge Smith
Born	July 1948 England
Origin	England
Genres	Progressive rock, alternative rock, avant garde, musical, opera
Occupation(s)	singer, musician, songwriter
Instruments	voice
Years active	1967–present
Labels	Masters of Art
Associated acts	Van der Graaf Generator, John Ellis, David Jackson, Lene Lovich, Arthur Brown, Mr Averell
Website	judge-smith.com
Notable instruments
typewriter

Christopher John Judge Smith (born July 1948), is an English songwriter, author, composer and performer, and a founder member of progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Initially working under the name Chris Judge Smith, he has been known simply as Judge Smith since 1994. After Van der Graaf Generator, he has written songs, stage musicals and operas, and from the early 1990s on he has released a number of solo CDs, including three "Songstories".

In 1967, with Peter Hammill, Judge Smith founded the band Van der Graaf Generator. He was originally a singing drummer and percussionist (sometimes playing a typewriter), but after drummer Guy Evans joined the band, Smith realized that there wasn't a great deal left for him to do, since his role was reduced to being a harmony singer. After recording the first Van der Graaf Generator-single ("People You Were Going To" b/w "Firebrand"), Smith amicably left the band in 1968.

He went on to form a jazz-rock band called Heebalob, which included saxophonist David Jackson, who would later join Van der Graaf Generator. After the demise of Heebalob, Smith pursued a solo career, and wrote and recorded many songs, some of which appeared on his (currently unavailable) first solo album Democrazy (1991). Smith also wrote several stage musicals as lyricist with composer Maxwell Hutchinson. These included The Kibbo Kift (produced at the Traverse Theatre for the Edinburgh Festival of 1976 and at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield the following year) and The Ascent Of Wilberforce III (subtitled "The White Hell of Iffish Odorabad", and produced at the Traverse Theatre, in 1981, and at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London in 1982). His own chamber opera, The Book Of Hours, was directed by Mel Smith at the Young Vic Theatre, London in 1978.Mata Hari (staged at the Lyric Theatre in 1982), was his last musical, co-written with Lene Lovich and Les Chappell, and starring Lovich.