Biography
Once a member of the immensely popular 1980s pop/rock group Tears for Fears, Curt Smith handled bass duties alongside his childhood friend and songwriting collaborator Roland Orzabal. The pair issued just three albums as Tears for Fears, after which Orzabal put out three additional releases under the same name on his own. Their commercial peak arrived in 1985 via the second album Songs from the Big Chair, which established the duo as mainstream staples through tracks such as "Shout," "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," and "Head Over Heels." Following a four-year hiatus they returned with the more elaborate The Seeds of Love, briefly restoring their earlier visibility. Alleged creative differences together with demanding personal obligations prompted Smith to exit the band in 1990 and pursue an independent path. His debut solo album Soul on Board appeared in 1993, issued only as an import within the United States. Still eager to create, Smith assembled Mayfield in 1995; the band delivered its self-titled debut three years afterward. The record generated modest attention on college radio yet soon faded from view. During the same period Smith wed longtime partner Frances Pennington, and the couple welcomed daughter Pennington Diva Smith. His next solo project, the Aeroplane EP, surfaced in June 2000 and included fresh renditions of Tears for Fears songs "Pale Shelter" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." Smith and Orzabal later reconciled, resulting in the 2004 Tears for Fears album Everybody Loves a Happy Ending. Smith resumed his solo work in 2007 with Halfway, Pleased, issued by the French imprint Xiii Bis; the album received a worldwide reissue the following year on his own Kook label.
Albums
