Steve Smith

Steve Smith was originally drawn to the drums by hearing marching bands in parades as a child in his native Massachusetts. At age nine, in 1963, Smith began studying the instrument in earnest with local Boston area teacher Bill Flanagan, who played in big bands in the swing era.

Smith performed in the usual school band program and garage bands while in his teens, but also began to broaden his performing experience by playing in a professional Brockton concert band and even the big band at the local college, Bridgewater State. After high school, Smith began studying music at the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston in 1972. There he received valuable instruction from such renowned drum teachers as Gary Chaffee and Alan Dawson.

In 1974 Smith's professional career began in full, at 19 years old, with his tenure in the Lin Biviano Big Band, which he toured and recorded with for the next two years. At that same time he also performed with bebopper Buddy DeFranco and was a member of free-jazz group The Fringe featuring George Garzone. In 1976, Smith began his association with jazz/fusion by joining violinist Jean Luc Ponty and recording the album "Enigmatic Ocean" (Atlantic 1977), which also featured guitarist Allan Holdsworth. However, it was while touring with rocker Ronnie Montrose a year later that Smith was asked to join the popular rock band Journey which brought his playing to the attention of a young rock audience.

With Journey Smith toured the world and went on to record Evolution, Departure, Captured, Escape, Frontiers, Rasied On Radio and Trial By Fire. His playing is featured on the majority of Journey’s Greatest Hits and Greatest Hits 2. Smith's inventive timekeeping, stadium sized tom-tom fills and deep sense of the groove enabled him to produce some of the most critically acclaimed rock drumming while at the same time propelling the band to much popular success. The Journey catalogue has sold over 70 million records.

In 1985 Smith left Journey to pursue his original passion, jazz, and to continue his developing career as a session player. Over the past 20+ years, Smith has played on many hits with such diverse artists as Mariah Carey, Bryan Adams, Zucchero, Andrea Bocelli, Ray Price and Savage Garden.

Smith began leading his own fusion band Steve Smith and Vital Information in 1983 while still a member of Journey. Vital Information NYC Edition currently features Mark Soskin on keys, Baron Browne on bass and Vinny Valentino on guitar. Vital Information's 20015 BFM Jazz release, “Viewpoint,” is a best seller and has gathered critical acclaim around the world.

Smith has also maintained an extensive touring and recording career, appearing with many jazz luminaries such as Mike Mainieri's group Steps Ahead. This band, which included virtuosos such as Michael Brecker, Richard Bona and Mike Stern, was one of the most successful of the '80s electric jazz groups and Smith contributed greatly to their tight, energetic sound for over ten years (1986-1993 and again from 2005 to the present).

Other high profile jazz touring and/or recording gigs that have filled the drummer's schedule include such artists as Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans, Randy Brecker, Zakir Hussain, Dave Liebman, George Brooks’ Summit and the Buddy Rich Big Band, with whom he has performed in many tribute concerts to the late drumming idol. He also rejoined Journey in 1996 to record the reunion album "Trial By Fire" (Columbia 1996). Smith's calendar often includes many drum clinics in which he is able to display his phenomenal techniques and concepts to drumming students around the world.

Smith's drumming, while always decidedly modern, can best be described as a style that embodies the history of U.S. music. His original love of rudimental parade drumming is evident in his intricate solos. Likewise, his command of jazz, from New Orleans music, swing, bebop, avant-garde to fusion, is applied with his powerful rock drumming sensibilities and allows him to push the boundaries of all styles to new heights. His musical focus is committed to the exploration of improvised music incorporating styles as diverse as Blues, Jazz, R&B, Funk, Cajun and the rhythms from the music of India.

In 1998, Smith began producing and playing on a series of driving electric jazz albums for the Tone Center label with a revolving cast of talented players such as Dave Liebman, Anthony Jackson, Frank Gambale, Stu Hamm, Tom Coster, Larry Coryell, Jerry Goodman, Howard Levy, Steve Marcus, Scott Henderson and Victor Wooten.

Steve was voted “#1 Fusion Drummer” in the 2012 & 2015 Modern Drummer magazine readers poll and #1 Jazz Drummer 2015 in the UK magazine Rhythm. He was also voted “#1 All-Around Drummer” in the Modern Drummer poll for five consecutive years from 1987- 1991. In 2001, Steve was named one of the “Top 25 Drummers of All Time” by Modern Drummer. In 2002, he was voted into the magazine’s “Hall of Fame” and in 2003, his DVD Drumset Technique - History of the U.S. Beat (Hudson Music), was voted #1 Educational DVD.”

Hudson Music also released Steve’s DVD/CD Drum Legacy – Standing on the Shoulders of Giants in 2008, which was voted “Best DVD of 2009” by the readers of Drum! magazine. The 2008, 2009 and 2010 Drum! readers poll voted Steve #1 Jazz Drummer.

In 2013 Steve co-authored the Hudson Music book The Roots Of Rock Drumming, a behind-the-scenes look at the origins of rock drumming (1949-’65). In 2014, Modern Drummer named Steve as one of the “Top 50 Drummers of All Time!"

Steve has many educational drum lessons available on the Drum Guru app. His latest educational book/DVD is entitled Pathways of Motion: Hand Technique for the Drumset using Four Versions of Matched Grip. Additionally, Steve regularly conducts educational clinics worldwide, is an instructor at the annual Drum Fantasy Camp and has released a collection of his art called Fabric of Rhythm.

As a drummer, Steve Smith has worked for, and with, the best. With this work he is consistently pushing the boundaries of creative drumming and constantly expanding upon his strong and musical voice at the top of the international drumming community. As an educator, Smith is both the eternal student, and the perpetual teacher of the drums. As a bandleader, he is one of the very few drummers whose endless touring schedule brings world-class bands to all corners of the globe through an endless regimen of live performances.

Steve revisits a role which was a formative part of his career and joins Journey for their 2016-2017 touring cycle, the first time he’s played with the band since 1998.

Steve Smith uses Sonor drums, Zildjian cymbals, Remo heads, Vic Firth Steve Smith signature sticks and Tala Wands, Cympad Optimizers, Puresound snare wires, DW bass drum pedals and DW Practice pads including his signature BACKSTAGE knee-pad and BD pedal pad.

Steve Smith has lesson packs on the Drum Guru app including soloing concepts and how to play his drum parts on selected Journey songs. http://www.drumguru.com

For additional educational material with Steve Smith on Hudson Music check out these Hudson Music DVDs and instant downloads at http://www.hudsonmusic.com

Steve Smith Drumset Technique and History of the U.S. Beat The most in-depth study of drumming technique ever done on video or DVD as well as a thorough and fascinating survey of the evolution of the primary drum set pulse in the music or the U.S., from Ragtime to Fusion.

Steve Smith Drum Legacy: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants Studying the drum giants who came before is one of the keys to developing an understanding of music and finding your own voice on the drums. This highly educational DVD set presents a musical analysis and discussion of some of the most important jazz drumming greats in history.

Steve Smith and Various Artists The Art Of Playing With Brushes Brilliantly conceived and meticulously documented, The Art of Playing with Brushes is the most comprehensive, definitive and unprecedented volume on the topic ever produced. Legends Billy Hart, Eddie Locke, Joe Morello, Charli Persip and Ben Riley along with modern brush masters Adam Nussbaum and Steve Smith demonstrate and discuss their distinctive drumming styles then all perform the same set of songs.