Brian William Smith (born March 26, 1949) is a British–Canadian guitarist, known for being a founding member of the rock band Trooper.[1]
Brian "Smitty" Smith | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Brian William Smith |
| Born | March 26, 1949 London, England |
| Genres | Rock, pop |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1967–present |
Life and career
editEarly life
editSmith was born in London and emigrated to Canada in 1951.
Smith began performing on the guitar before he was fifteen years old. Some of his first gigs were playing with Don Geppert and Anne Attenborough in a band that played Hawaiian music.[2] By the age of 16 he was playing guitar almost professionally. He graduated from Vancouver City College with a degree in Arts and Merchandising, but his love of music led him along another route. He is known as a guitarist and also as a co-writer of more than 100 songs, many of which have become hits.[3]
Career
editSmith has performed with Trooper along with Ra McGuire since 1975, when their first album was released, until their 2021 retirement. He currently resides in Langley, BC.[4]
At the 1999 SOCAN Awards, Smith and songwriting partner Ra McGuire received SOCAN Classic Awards for "We're Here for a Good Time" and "Santa Maria", presented for songs that have received over 100,000 documented radio plays.
Smith received a third SOCAN Classic Award in 2005, for "Oh, Pretty Lady."[5]
Smith and Trooper continued to tour and perform across Canada. As part of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics festivities, Smith was featured when Trooper performed on February 21, 2010. Coverage of the event was broadcast in Canada and around the world on networks such as CTV and MuchMusic.[6]
On November 19, 2012, Smith was presented with a SOCAN National Achievement Award, which is presented to artists who have had outstanding success, predominantly in the Canadian music industry, over the span of their career. He also received three SOCAN Classic Awards for "Raise A Little Hell", "General Hand Grenade", and "Janine", co-written with songwriting partner Ra McGuire.[7][8] He was also nominated for the Composer of the year Juno award several times.
In May 2023, Trooper was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and Smith received the Juno statuette as one of the inducted members.[9][10]
Personal life
editBrian and his wife Joanne have been married for 55 years together, he is three times grandfather and his granddaughters have inspired him to stay healthy and to continue creating.[11]
Retirement
editQuoted from their official Facebook group, as of November 8, 2021, the final two founding members are retiring:
We have some news. Ra and Smitty are officially retiring. They've already been *unofficially* retired for a year and a half, so they've just decided to continue not working, since they've realized that they're getting pretty good at it. They are both healthy and happy, they've just decided that this is the best time to step back from the road and enjoy the life that this unplanned time-off has dropped them into. It's been a difficult decision and today marks a bittersweet and emotional turning point in their lives. They send their love to all their fans, friends, and everyone with whom they've shared the joyous, rockin', love-filled cross-Canada party that is Trooper. They will sorely miss you all. BUT HOLD ON ... If you've been looking forward to the next Trooper show, don't despair. Ra and Smitty have given their blessing to the rest of the band and crew to carry on as Trooper without them! More on this soon.
Instrument collection
editSmith has a large collection of vintage guitars, including the following:
- Fender Stratocaster
- 1974 Gibson Les Paul, which Smith still plays at every Trooper show.[12]
- A Gretsch Guitar, formerly owned and played by Randy Bachman of Bachman–Turner Overdrive and The Guess Who. This guitar was also used for the guitar riff at the end of the Trooper hit "Round Round We Go".[13]
- A Bill Lewis handbuilt guitar which Smith played mostly when Trooper was known as Applejack.[14] Several times he was nominated for the Composer of the year Juno award.
References
edit- ^ "Trooper Official Site - Canadian rock band -".
- ^ "Trooper Official Site - Canadian rock band -".
- ^ smith bio Retrieved on 23 Jan 2018
- ^ "Canadian Band: TROOPER". Archived from the original on December 12, 2009. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
- ^ "SOCAN Honours Top Canadian Songs | Chart Attack". Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "The Official Trooper Site". Archived from the original on November 8, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
- ^ "Bruce Cockburn, Trooper, Deadmau5 Honored at 2012 SOCAN Awards Gala | Billboard.biz". Archived from the original on November 22, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
- ^ "Bruce Cockburn, Trooper, deadmau5 to be Honoured at 23rd Annual SOCAN Awards Gala | SOCAN". Archived from the original on September 5, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
- ^ Benchetrit, Jenna. "These are the inductees of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame". CBC. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ Volmers, Eric (May 19, 2023). "50-odd years of stories: Canadian Music Hall of Fame's newest inductees tell tales of longevity and resilience". Calgary Herald. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
- ^ smith bio Retrieved on 23 Jan 2018
- ^ "Trooper Official Site - Canadian rock band -".
- ^ "Trooper Official Site - Canadian rock band -".
- ^ "Trooper Official Site - Canadian rock band -".