Brett Smiley

Despite issuing only a lone single and making a solitary television appearance while remaining almost invisible to the public for more than twenty-five years, Brett Smiley holds a rightful place among glam rock’s authentic icons. Born in the United States yet a committed Anglophile who goes by his genuine surname, he devoted four years to the touring production of Oliver before shifting his focus to pop.

An ambitious manager sought to establish him in Britain during 1972, yet the prevailing fervor for the Osmonds and David Cassidy left no opening. Smiley crossed back to the United States, circulating through Seattle, Hollywood, and New York, and cut a batch of demos with Sky, the band led by future Knack leader Doug Fieger. Although the tapes secured no contract, they reached the ears of Andrew Loog Oldham, the Rolling Stones’ former manager and producer.

Early in 1974 Oldham negotiated a 100,000 dollar deal with the British Anchor imprint. Smiley recorded his debut single “Va Va Va Voom” in London, where Steve Marriott supplied incendiary guitar, then began album sessions in Nashville that later relocated to New York and returned to London. That October he made his television debut on Russell Harty - Plus and appeared on the cover of Disc.

“Va Va Va Voom” nevertheless failed in the U.K., and an intended U.S. release on Sire disintegrated shortly afterward. Anchor withdrew its backing, abandoning the album before the recordings had even been paid for. Smiley returned to America and now resides in New York, where he continues to perform on a semi-regular basis. A late-’80s reunion with Oldham produced several additional tracks that likewise remain unreleased.