Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith performing in Los Angeles, February 2003.
Background information
Birth name
Steven Paul Smith
Born
August 6, 1969(1969-08-06)
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Origin
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Died
October 21, 2003 (aged 34)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genre(s)
Indie rock, folk rock, lo-fi
Instrument(s)
Guitar
Vocals
Piano
Clarinet
Bass
Harmonica
Drums
Years active
1991–2003
Label(s)
Virgin
Cavity Search
Kill Rock Stars
Suicide Squeeze
DreamWorks
ANTI-
Epitaph
Domino
Associated acts Heatmiser
Quasi
Mary Lou Lord
Pete Krebs
No. 2
Website
Official website
Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith (August 6,
1969 – October 21, 2003) was an American
singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was
born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in
Texas, and resided for a significant portion of
his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first
gained popularity. His primary instrument
was the guitar, but he was also proficient at
piano, clarinet, bass, drums and harmonica.
Smith had a distinctive vocal style character-
ized by his "whispery, spiderweb-thin deliv-
ery"[1] and use of multi-tracking to create vo-
cal layers, textures, and harmonies.
After playing in the rock band Heatmiser
for several years, Smith began his solo career
in 1994 with releases on the independent re-
cord labels Cavity Search and Kill Rock
Stars. In 1997 he signed a contract with
DreamWorks Records, for which he recorded
two albums. Smith rose to mainstream prom-
inence when his song "Miss Misery", included
in the soundtrack for the film Good Will
Hunting, was nominated for an Oscar in the
Best Original Song category in 1997.
Smith battled with depression, alcoholism,
and drug addiction for years, and these top-
ics often appeared in his lyrics. At age 34, he
died in Los Angeles, California from two stab
wounds to the chest.[2] The autopsy evidence
was inconclusive as to whether the wounds
were self-inflicted.[3] At the time of his death,
Smith was working on his sixth studio album,
From a Basement on the Hill, which was
posthumously released.