Adrian Smith
Oxford Dictionary of Statistics:
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Adrian Frederick Melhuish Smith
(1946– ; b. Dawlish, England) English statistician. Smith obtained his first degree at Cambridge U in 1968 and his PhD (supervised by Lindley) from UCL in 1971. He held faculty appointments at Oxford U (1971), UCL (1974), U Nottingham (1977), and IC (1980) before his appointment as Principal of QMUL in 1988. President of the RSS in 1995, Smith had been awarded its Guy Medal in Bronze in 1977 and in Silver in 1993. He was elected FRS in 2001. He was the COPSS Fisher Lecturer in 2003.
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:
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Adrian Smith
- Genres: Rock
Biography
While not an original member of Iron Maiden, guitarist Adrian Smith proved to be one of the missing pieces to the puzzle (singer Bruce Dickinson being the other) early on -- resulting in the band obtaining elite status among the metal masses soon after. Born on February 27, 1957, in Hackney (located in East London), Smith was captivated by such renowned hard rock guitarists as Jimi Hendrix and Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore early on, while his sister's boyfriend's record collection only intensified his appreciation of hard rock. It wasn't long before a school chum and guitarist, Dave Murray, convinced Smith that he should take up the guitar himself. Murray and Smith began to play together in bands, and with Smith's decision to pursue music full-time, he opted to drop out before graduation. Smith's first serious band, Evil Ways, eventually evolved into Urchin, a group that Murray would sometimes be a part of as well. But Murray's main focus was his other group, heavy metallists Iron Maiden, who were making quite a name for themselves locally during the late '70s. Smith was even asked to join Maiden at one point during this time, but opted to pass due to his commitments to Urchin.Meanwhile, Maiden quickly became one of England's top metal outfits, as the band's 1980 debut, Iron Maiden, nearly topped the charts back home. With Urchin disintegrating, Smith had a change of mind, and finally agreed to join Maiden in time for the recording of the group's sophomore effort, 1981's Killers (supposedly beating out Phil Collen for the spot, who would soon turn up in Def Leppard). Automatically, Smith and Murray formed one of heavy metal's top '80s-era guitar duos, as they took Thin Lizzy's twin-guitar setup to a whole other level -- especially on such subsequent releases as 1982's classic Number of the Beast (which saw the arrival of singer Dickinson), 1983's Piece of Mind, 1984's Powerslave, 1986's Somewhere in Time, and 1988's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Smith also turned out to a valuable songwriter as well, as he completely wrote or co-penned such Maiden classics as "22 Acacia Avenue," "Flight of Icarus," "2 Minutes to Midnight," "Wasted Years," and "Can I Play With Madness," among others (Smith even sang lead on the Somewhere in Time-era B-side, "Reach Out").
However, by 1989 it was becoming increasingly obvious that Smith was growing disenchanted with Maiden, as he issued an obscure solo album, credited to A.S.A.P., titled Silver and Gold. Despite the album not exactly lighting up the charts, Smith exited Maiden in 1990, replaced by Janick Gers. Little was heard from Smith throughout the '90s, until he reappeared alongside Dickinson (who had followed Smith's lead and left Maiden) on the releases Accident at Birth (1997), Chemical Wedding (1998), and Scream for Me Brazil (1999). With Smith and Dickinson working together once more (and with Maiden's popularity sagging), the duo reunited with their old Maiden pals in 1999, resulting in further sold-out tours and new studio albums, including 2000's Brave New World and 2003's Dance of Death. The 21st century edition of Maiden is also one of the few in metal to include three guitarists -- Smith, Murray, and Gers. ~ Greg Prato, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Adrian Smith
This article is about the Iron Maiden guitarist. For other people with the same name, see Adrian Smith (disambiguation)
| Adrian Smith | |
|---|---|
 Adrian Smith performing with Iron Maiden at Ottawa Bluesfest in 2010 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Adrian Frederick Smith[1] |
| Born | 27 February 1957 Hackney, east London, England |
| Genres | Heavy metal, progressive rock, hard rock |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, bass guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Labels | EMI |
| Associated acts | Urchin, Iron Maiden, The Entire Population of Hackney, ASAP, The Untouchables, Psycho Motel, Bruce Dickinson, Kai Hansen, Michael Kiske, Hear 'n Aid, Primal Rock Rebellion |
| Website | http://www.ironmaiden.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Jackson Adrian Smith San Dimas Lado Earth Gibson Les Paul Gibson SG Fender Stratocaster |
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Adrian Frederick "H" Smith (born 27 February 1957) is an English musician, best known as one of the three guitarists in the heavy metal band, Iron Maiden, for whom he regularly writes and, along with bassist Steve Harris, performs backing vocals on some songs.
Growing up in Camden, London, Smith gained an interest in rock music at 15 and formed a friendship with future Iron Maiden guitarist Dave Murray, who would inspire Smith to take up the guitar himself. Upon leaving school at 16, he formed his own band, Urchin, which he would lead until their demise in 1980. Having already been offered a position as their second guitarist the previous year, Smith joined Iron Maiden in November 1980, replacing Dennis Stratton. Following a short-lived solo project entitled A.S.A.P, he left Iron Maiden in 1990, forming his own group, Psycho Motel, before joining Bruce Dickinson's solo outfit in 1997. Along with Dickinson, he returned to Iron Maiden in 1999, after which the band gained renewed success, and recently formed the side project, Primal Rock Rebellion.
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Contents
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Biography
Early years and Urchin: 1957—1980
Born in Hackney,[1] Smith grew up in Clapton[2] where he purchased his first record, Deep Purple's Machine Head, while still attending school at 15. This led him to befriend Dave Murray,[3] with whom he would form a band called Stone Free, featuring Murray on guitar, Smith on vocals and their friend, Dave McCloughlin, playing the bongos.[4] After seeing the attention Murray got from girls,[3] Smith was inspired to take up the guitar himself, starting with an old Spanish guitar, once owned by his brother, before purchasing an old one of Murray's for £5.[5] His early influences included Johnny Winter and Pat Travers, which he claims made him a "melodic player" rather than a "speed merchant or a shredder" as he "was inspired by blues rock rather than metal."[6]
Leaving school after completing his O-levels, Smith formed his own band, Evil Ways, including Dave Murray on guitar, which was later renamed Urchin.[7] In this outfit, Smith began writing his own material, including "22 Acacia Avenue", which would later be included on Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast (1982).[7] At this point, Murray left the band to join Iron Maiden and Urchin signed with DJM Records and released a single, "Black leather Fantasy", in 1977.[8] Shortly afterwards, Murray joined Urchin on their next single, "She's a Roller", as he had been sacked from Iron Maiden after a row with then vocalist Dennis Wilcock, although he was reinstated six months later.[8] Smith was also offered a place in Iron Maiden while they were in the process of signing with EMI in 1979, but turned them down to continue with his own band, a decision he would later regret as Urchin split up in 1980.[9]
First tenure in Iron Maiden: 1980—1989
Main article: Iron Maiden
Without a band, Smith was left "wondering what to do next," before he "literally bumped into Steve [Harris] and Dave," who asked if he might want to reconsider joining.[9] After a successful audition,[10] Smith debuted with the band on a German TV show, before setting out on a UK tour and recording the Killers album, released in 1981.[11] Smith's first song-writing contributions appeared on The Number of the Beast, co-penning "Gangland" and "The Prisoner", as well as the previously mentioned "22 Acacia Avenue",[12] after which he began co-writing many songs with singer, Bruce Dickinson, on the following Piece of Mind album.[13][14]
Smith and Dave Murray combined playing dual lead guitars, creating what Allmusic calls "the most formidable twin-guitar attack in heavy metal, outside of Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing."[15] Smith, along with Steve Harris, also provides the band's backing vocals, although he sang lead on "Reach Out", the B-Side to the "Wasted Years" single, featuring Bruce Dickinson on backing vocals.[16] Originally written by guitarist Dave "Bucket" Colwell, whom he had worked with on The Entire Population of Hackney project, Smith would later sing "Reach Out" again for Colwell's solo album, Guitars, Beers & Tears, released in 2010.[17][18]
Departure from Iron Maiden and other projects: 1989—1999
While Iron Maiden were taking some time off in 1989, Smith released a solo LP with the band ASAP (Adrian Smith And Project),[19] entitled Silver and Gold,[20] which was a commercial failure in spite of a promotional club tour.[21] Unhappy with the direction the band were taking for their next release, No Prayer for the Dying,[22] Smith agreed to leave Iron Maiden in 1990 during the album's pre-production stages,[23] and was replaced by Janick Gers.[24] After releasing the experimental Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son albums in 1986 and 1988 respectively, Steve Harris had decided that the band should go for a "stripped-down," "street level" approach, which Smith thought was a "step backward."[22] No Prayer for the Dying contained one last Smith song, co-penned with Bruce Dickinson, entitled "Hooks in You".[25]
After leaving, Smith started a family with his Canadian wife, Nathalie, and would not play guitar again until he joined Iron Maiden onstage at Donington Park in 1992 to perform "Running Free".[26] In the same year, after hearing King's X for the first time, he decided that he would "love to play in a band like that" and formed The Untouchables,[27] which later became Psycho Motel.[26] The band recorded two albums, State of Mind in 1996 and Welcome to the World in 1997, during which they supported Iron Maiden on the British leg of The X Factour.[26] The project was put on hold, however, when Smith joined Bruce Dickinson for his 1997 album, Accident of Birth,[26] after which he became a full-time member of Dickinson's solo outfit, embarking on two world tours and contributing to one further studio release, 1998's The Chemical Wedding.[28]
Return to Iron Maiden: 1999—present
In 1999, Smith re-joined Iron Maiden, along with vocalist Bruce Dickinson, who commented, "When he left the band in 1990, I think everybody was a bit surprised at how much we missed him and certainly, I don’t think anybody had realized how much the fans would miss him - big time. I wouldn’t have rejoined Iron Maiden if he wasn’t in the band. I just don’t think it would have been complete without Adrian, and now, it’s great having three guitarists."[29] The band embarked on a short tour,[30] after which the new line-up's first album, Brave New World, was recorded with producer Kevin Shirley and released in 2000.[31]
He remains in Iron Maiden to this day, with whom he has released three further studio albums, 2003's Dance of Death, 2006's A Matter of Life and Death and 2010's The Final Frontier. Smith claims that his guitar playing improved after leaving the band in 1990, in particular while working with Roy Z, from whom he "learned a lot about picking" and became "more disciplined."[6] Since returning to Iron Maiden, he has also continued experimenting with tuning (which he began doing in Psycho Motel), stating that he has used drop D tuning in live renditions of "Run to the Hills", "Wrathchild", "The Trooper" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name".[6]
Smith performs lead guitar, bass and backing vocals on the album Awoken Broken by his collaborative studio project with Mikee Goodman of SikTh called Primal Rock Rebellion. The title was released on 27 February 2012, while one song, "I See Lights", was released as a free download on the project's official website on 2 January.[32]
Personal life
Adrian Smith was born in Hackney Hospital and grew up a few streets away from his childhood friend, and current band-mate, Dave Murray.[33] Smith, whose father was a painter and decorator from Homerton, was the youngest of three, with an older brother, Patrick, and a sister, Kathleen.[1] As a child, he was "a Manchester United fanatic," although he would lose his interest in football once he got into music.[1]
In his spare time, Smith is a keen angler, revealing that he used to take "worms and maggots" with him on tour,[34] and was featured on the front cover of Angler's Mail on 25 August 2009.[35] For over 20 years, he has been married to his Canadian wife,[26] Nathalie Dufresne-Smith, who currently works for Maiden Flight, a cancer awareness/ patient rights organisation,[36] and the pair have three children, Dylan, Natasha and Brittany.[37]
Equipment
Guitars
Smith currently prefers to use his Jackson signature 'San Dimas' Dinky, although he has used a variety of guitars over his career, including several different Dean models,[38] various Jacksons,[38] including the Randy Rhoads model, Fender Stratocasters (including three Fender Floyd Rose Classic Stratocasters; one with an added Roland midi pickup), Gibson Les Pauls,[38] Gibson Explorers, Gibson SGs,[38] an Ibanez Destroyer,[38] a Hamer Scarab,[38] and Lado Guitars.[38] On the A Matter of Life and Death DVD, he says the first decent guitar he bought was a Gibson Les Paul Goldtop, which he paid £235 for when he was 17.[39] He still uses it to this day,[40] stating that "it's still probably the best guitar I've got".[39]
Currently his touring guitars are: Gibson Les Paul Goldtop with Dimarzio Super Distortion in bridge position,[40] his Jackson Superstrat 1986 prototype (which can be seen in the Maiden England video) with the pickguard changed to resemble his signature model,[41] a Jackson Signature model with black scratchplate and maple neck,[42] an early 70's Gibson SG,[40] and another Jackson, inspired by his Les Paul Goldtop.[43]
As of August 2007, Adrian Smith endorses Jackson Guitars, his first guitar company endorsement in over fifteen years. With Jackson he has an Adrian Smith San Dimas DK model.[44] Prior to his endorsement, he was seen using other Jackson guitars, such as a King V during his time in Bruce Dickinson's solo band, before he went to Fender guitars. In August 2008, he had a Jackson guitar stolen from backstage at a show in Greece.[45]
Effects, controllers and processors
- Dunlop Uni-vibe Wah Controller[46]
- Yamaha MFC10 Midi Foot Controller[46][47]
- DigiTech Whammy Pedal[46]
- Two Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamers[48]
- Mike Hill B.I.S. Isolation hole[46]
- Lexicon MX200 multi-effects unit[47]
Amplifiers
- Two 300-Watt Marshall 1960A Angled-Front 4x12 Cabs loaded with 75-Watt Celestion G12-T75 Speakers[46]
- Two Marshall 30th Anniversary 6100LM 100-Watt All-Tube Heads[46]
- Two Marshall DSL100 JCM2000 Amplifiers[48]
- Marshall 9200 Rack Power Amp[48]
Units and tuners
- Shure U4 Wireless Receiver[46]
- Whirlwind Multi-Selector 4-Channel Selector[46]
- Dunlop DCR-1SR Rack Wah[46][48]
- Peavey Tubefex Tube Preamp & Multi-Fx Unit[46]
- Marshall JMP-1 Valve Midi Preamp[48]
Discography
Main article: Iron Maiden discography
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Main article: Bruce Dickinson discography
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Notes
- ^ a b c d Wall 2004, p. 164.
- ^ Bushell, Garry; Halfin, Ross (1985). Running Free, The Official Story of Iron Maiden (2 ed.). Zomba Books. p. 80. ISBN 0-946391-84-X.
- ^ a b Wall 2004, p. 165.
- ^ Wall 2004, p. 41.
- ^ Wall 2004, p. 166.
- ^ a b c McIver, Joel (2010-12-01). "Iron Maiden: Adrian Smith". Total Guitar (208): 40–42.
- ^ a b Wall 2004, p. 167.
- ^ a b Wall 2004, p. 168.
- ^ a b Wall 2004, p. 169.
- ^ Wall 2004, p. 170.
- ^ Wall 2004, p. 171.
- ^ Wall 2004, p. 224.
- ^ Wall 2004, p. 244.
- ^ "Allmusic: Piece of Mind". http://www.allmusic.com/album/piece-of-mind-r9912/review. Retrieved 2011-09-28. "We also get greater involvement in the songwriting from Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith, whose themes are perfectly in tune with Steve Harris' epic storytelling."
- ^ "Allmusic: Killers". http://www.allmusic.com/album/killers-r9909/review. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
- ^ Wall 2004, p. 261.
- ^ "Adrian Smith featured on album by Dave 'Bucket' Colwell". http://www.ironmaiden.com/adrian-smith-featured-on-album-by-dave-bucket-colwell.html. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
- ^ "Reach Out- Bucket & Co., featuring Iron Maiden's Adrian Smith video". http://www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/id/8Vo6EyzaNPg/search/bucket--co. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
- ^ James, Darren (2005). "Stranger in a Strange Land". Metal Hammer presents: Iron Maiden 30 Years of Metal Mayhem: 75.
- ^ Wall 2004, p. 273.
- ^ Wall 2004, p. 274.
- ^ a b Wall 2004, p. 283.
- ^ Wall 2004, p. 284.
- ^ Wall 2004, p. 285.
- ^ Wall 2004, p. 286.
- ^ a b c d e Wall 2004, p. 326.
- ^ Ling, Dave (2005). "Adrian Smith". Metal Hammer presents: Iron Maiden 30 Years of Metal Mayhem: 64.
- ^ Wall 2004, p. 327.
- ^ "Adrian Smith as known by Bruce Dickinson". ironmaiden.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. http://web.archive.org/web/20110713060857/http://www.ironmaiden.com/index.php?categoryid=14&p2_articleid=332. Retrieved 2012-02-11.
- ^ Wall 2004, p. 331.
- ^ Wall 2004, p. 342.
- ^ "Primal Rock Rebellion Official Website". http://www.primalrockrebellion.com. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
- ^ Wall 2004, p. 40.
- ^ "Iron Maiden's Adrian Smith: 'I used to take worms on tour'". http://www.nme.com/news/iron-maiden/46902#4. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
- ^ "Adrian makes a splash". http://www.ironmaiden.com/adrian-makes-a-splash.html. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
- ^ "Maiden Flight, Board of Directors". http://www.maidenflight.net/board_of_directors.html. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
- ^ Iron Maiden. "Iron Maiden Thank- Adrian Smith:". From Fear to Eternity Booklet.
- ^ a b c d e f g Heatley, Michael (2005). "Hardware". Metal Hammer presents: Iron Maiden 30 Years of Metal Mayhem: 69.
- ^ a b A Matter of Life and Death: Documentary (DVD). EMI. 28 August 2006.
- ^ a b c "Adrian Smith Les Paul". http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2010/Nov/GALLERY_Iron_Maidens_2010_Touring_Gear.aspx?Page=9&#gallery. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
- ^ "Adrian Smith 1986 Jackson". http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2010/Nov/GALLERY_Iron_Maidens_2010_Touring_Gear.aspx?Page=1&#gallery. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
- ^ "Adrian Smith Signature Jackson". http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2010/Nov/GALLERY_Iron_Maidens_2010_Touring_Gear.aspx?Page=3&#gallery. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
- ^ "Adrian Smith Custom Jackson". http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2010/Nov/GALLERY_Iron_Maidens_2010_Touring_Gear.aspx?Page=5&#gallery. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
- ^ "Jackson and Legendary Iron Maiden Guitarist Adrian Smith, Collaborate and Design Signature San Dimas Dinky Guitar". GuitarGearHeads. http://www.guitargearheads.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=560. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^ "Adrian Smith guitar stolen". http://www.ironmaiden.com/adrian-smith-guitar-stolen.html. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Adrian Smith Rig Diagrammed". Guitar World. 2006-12-01.
- ^ a b "Adrian Smith MIDI". http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2010/Nov/GALLERY_Iron_Maidens_2010_Touring_Gear.aspx?Page=12&#gallery. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
- ^ a b c d e "Adrian Smith Rack". http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2010/Nov/GALLERY_Iron_Maidens_2010_Touring_Gear.aspx?Page=11&#gallery. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
- ^ "Earthshaker- Earthshaker". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/earthshaker-r36237. Retrieved 2012-01-31.
References
- Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (third ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. ISBN 1-86074-542-3
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Copyrights:
Oxford Dictionary of Statistics
A Dictionary of Statistics. Second edition revised. Copyright © Oxford University Press, 2008. All rights reserved.
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AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists
Copyright © 2012 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Mentioned in
Silver and Gold
(1989 Album by A.S.A.P.)
A.S.A.P.
(Rock Band, '80s)
Mike Sturgis
(Rock Artist)
Accident of Birth
(1997 Album by Bruce Dickinson)
Accident of Birth [Bonus Tracks]
(2005 Album by Bruce Dickinson)
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