At the age of nine, Smith began playing the piano, and at ten began learning guitar on a small acoustic guitar bought for him by his father. In a 2001 interview, he stated, "I don't necessarily buy into any officially structured version of spirituality. Smith felt that going to church did little for him, except make him "really scared of hell". The family was a part of the Community of Christ through much of Smith's childhood, but eventually began attending services at a local Methodist Church. Smith reflected the impact of this part of his life in the lyrics of " Some Song": "Charlie beat you up week after week, and when you grow up you're going to be a freak." The name "Charlie" also appeared in the lyrics for " Flowers for Charlie" and " No Confidence Man". But I won't forget about it although I'm tempted to 'cause I don't like it there." Smith endured a difficult childhood and a troubled relationship with his stepfather Charlie. Much later in his life, Smith got a tattoo of a map of Texas on his upper arm and said, "I didn't get it because I like Texas, kinda the opposite. His parents divorced about a year later, and Smith moved with his mother to live in Duncanville, Texas. His mother, Bunny Welch (née Bunny Kay Berryman), was a music teacher at an elementary school, and his father, Gary Smith, was a University of Nebraska medical student at the time. Steven Paul Smith was born at Clarkson Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska. At the time of his death, Smith was working on his sixth studio album, From a Basement on the Hill, which was released posthumously on October 19, 2004. The autopsy evidence was inconclusive as to whether the wounds were self-inflicted. At age 34, he died in Los Angeles, California from two stab wounds to the chest. Smith battled with depression, alcoholism and drug addiction for years, and these topics often appeared in his lyrics.
Smith rose to mainstream prominence 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. In 1997 he signed a contract with DreamWorks Records, for which he recorded two albums. Smith had a distinctive vocal style characterized by his "whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery" and use of multi-tracking to create vocal harmonies.Īfter playing in the rock band Heatmiser for several years, Smith began his solo career in 1994 with releases on the independent record labels Cavity Search and Kill Rock Stars. His primary instrument was the guitar, but he was also proficient at piano, clarinet, bass, drums and harmonica.
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. Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith (Aug– October 21, 2003) was an American songwriter and musician.
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