Steve Smith (musician)
| Steve Smith | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Steve Elliott Smith |
| Also known as | Jazzmaster Saddler |
| Born |
August 21, 1954 Whitman, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, jazz fusion, hard rock, heavy metal |
| Instruments | Drums, percussion |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Associated acts | Journey, Vital Information, Mariah Carey, Steps Ahead, Jean-Luc Ponty, Montrose, The RD Crusaders, Savage Garden, Focus |
| Website | Official Website |
Steve Elliott Smith (born August 21, 1954) is an American drummer known for being the drummer of the rock band Journey, rejoining the band for the third time in 2015.Modern Drummer magazine readers voted him the #1 All-Around Drummer five years in a row. In 2001, the publication named Smith as one of the Top 25 Drummers of All Time, and in 2002 he was voted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame. He will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Journey in 2017.
Having received his first drum kit at age two, Smith began taking drum lessons at age nine, in 1963, with local Boston area drum teacher Bill Flanagan, who played in big bands in the swing era. Smith got his first “real” drum set when he was 12 years old. On many nights, Steve could be heard practicing in a small shed in the backyard of his Harvard street home. Smith performed in the usual school band program and garage bands while in his teens, including Clyde, a South Shore sensation, but also began to broaden his performing experience by playing in a professional concert band and the big band at local Bridgewater State College. His first “paid gig” was with a garage band. He graduated from high school in 1972, and joined the 'Lin Biviano Big Band' at 19, playing with them for two years.
After high school, Smith attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts studying with Alan Dawson.
Smith recorded and toured with jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty in 1977-78, was the drummer on the Focus album Focus con Proby (1978), as well as drumming with Ronnie Montrose before joining the rock band Journey in 1978. He occupied the drum chair from late 1978 through mid-1985. Smith left the band in 1985, but he returned in 1995 for the band's 1996 comeback album, Trial by Fire. In the interim, he played with Journey offshoot The Storm.
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