Biography
Vocalist Dallas Smith has built a career that bridges the shrinking gap separating rock & roll from country, collecting chart-topping singles across both styles. Fronting the Canadian post-grunge band Default delivered global recognition via the track “Wasting My Time” and the 2001 album The Fallout. Once Default disbanded, Smith turned to country, fusing rock drive with the genre’s melodic storytelling, everyday subjects, and straightforward textures—an approach that paid off. Five tracks from his first solo outing, the 2012 album Jumped Right In, landed inside the Top Ten of the Canadian Country Singles charts. Continued refinement brought major domestic success with Side Effects (2016) and Timeless (2020), while between 2014 and 2020 he reached number one on the Canadian Country Singles chart eleven times.
Smith entered the world in Langley, British Columbia, Canada, on December 4, 1977. Rock and country records filled his childhood; the Beatles ranked among his earliest favorites, yet he also followed Nashville figures such as Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, and Garth Brooks. Though drawn to singing, he waited until age 21 to launch his first group, a rock-cover band assembled with friends. At 23 he joined Default, the Vancouver-based hard rock outfit marked by grunge influences. A demo tape reached Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, who endorsed the material, secured Default a recording contract, and served as executive producer on the 2002 debut The Fallout. The set featured “Wasting My Time,” an international hit single that earned platinum certification in both Canada and the United States.
Default issued three additional albums before Smith, after the 2009 release Comes and Goes, pursued solo work during the band’s hiatus. Inspired by Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban’s blend of classic rock and country, he partnered with Canadian producer Joey Moi, whose credits span hard rock acts including Nickelback and Black Stone Cherry alongside contemporary country artists Florida Georgia Line and Jake Owen. Following a solo agreement with 604 Records under Universal distribution, Smith issued his debut single “Somebody Somewhere” in November 2011. The song appeared on Jumped Right In and, though only moderately successful, earned a Single of the Year nomination at the 2012 Canadian Country Music Association Awards. Two further cuts from the album, “Nothing But Summer” and “What Kinda Love,” reached the Top Ten on Canada’s Country Singles chart, prompting a co-headlining tour with Chad Brownlee. March 2014 brought the six-song EP Tippin’ Point, released in the United States by Republic Nashville. November 2014 saw the second solo album Lifted, which yielded the Top Five Canadian Country Singles entries “Lifted” and “Cheap Seats” plus the number-one single “Wastin’ Gas.” An edited EP version reached American listeners, and in September 2015 Blaster Records, distributed by Republic, released “Kids with Cars” as a digital single or five-song digital EP containing four prior Canadian hits.
August 2016 delivered the full-length Side Effects, whose tracks “Autograph,” “Sky Stays This Blue,” “Sleepin’ Around,” and the title song each ascended to number one on the Canadian Country singles charts. The album captured the Juno Award for Country Album of the Year and the Canadian Country Music Awards’ Album of the Year honor, while “Autograph” took Single of the Year. Supporting dates included opening slots on Keith Urban’s Ripcord Tour. In 2018 the CCMA named Smith Male Artist of the Year, and the following year he issued the six-song EP The Fall. Four of its tracks—“Make ’Em Like You,” “Rhinestone World,” “Drop,” and “Timeless”—topped the Canadian Country singles chart, earning Smith the CCMA trophies for Entertainer of the Year and Male Artist of the Year. His fourth solo album, Timeless, appeared in 2020; six of its twelve songs reached number one on the Canadian Country singles chart. Later that year the CCMA again named him Entertainer of the Year, repeating the accolade in 2021 along with Male Artist of the Year. Late 2021 brought the single “Hide from a Broken Heart,” followed by a global recording agreement with Big Loud Records that encompassed distribution for his Local Hay imprint.
Smith entered the world in Langley, British Columbia, Canada, on December 4, 1977. Rock and country records filled his childhood; the Beatles ranked among his earliest favorites, yet he also followed Nashville figures such as Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, and Garth Brooks. Though drawn to singing, he waited until age 21 to launch his first group, a rock-cover band assembled with friends. At 23 he joined Default, the Vancouver-based hard rock outfit marked by grunge influences. A demo tape reached Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, who endorsed the material, secured Default a recording contract, and served as executive producer on the 2002 debut The Fallout. The set featured “Wasting My Time,” an international hit single that earned platinum certification in both Canada and the United States.
Default issued three additional albums before Smith, after the 2009 release Comes and Goes, pursued solo work during the band’s hiatus. Inspired by Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban’s blend of classic rock and country, he partnered with Canadian producer Joey Moi, whose credits span hard rock acts including Nickelback and Black Stone Cherry alongside contemporary country artists Florida Georgia Line and Jake Owen. Following a solo agreement with 604 Records under Universal distribution, Smith issued his debut single “Somebody Somewhere” in November 2011. The song appeared on Jumped Right In and, though only moderately successful, earned a Single of the Year nomination at the 2012 Canadian Country Music Association Awards. Two further cuts from the album, “Nothing But Summer” and “What Kinda Love,” reached the Top Ten on Canada’s Country Singles chart, prompting a co-headlining tour with Chad Brownlee. March 2014 brought the six-song EP Tippin’ Point, released in the United States by Republic Nashville. November 2014 saw the second solo album Lifted, which yielded the Top Five Canadian Country Singles entries “Lifted” and “Cheap Seats” plus the number-one single “Wastin’ Gas.” An edited EP version reached American listeners, and in September 2015 Blaster Records, distributed by Republic, released “Kids with Cars” as a digital single or five-song digital EP containing four prior Canadian hits.
August 2016 delivered the full-length Side Effects, whose tracks “Autograph,” “Sky Stays This Blue,” “Sleepin’ Around,” and the title song each ascended to number one on the Canadian Country singles charts. The album captured the Juno Award for Country Album of the Year and the Canadian Country Music Awards’ Album of the Year honor, while “Autograph” took Single of the Year. Supporting dates included opening slots on Keith Urban’s Ripcord Tour. In 2018 the CCMA named Smith Male Artist of the Year, and the following year he issued the six-song EP The Fall. Four of its tracks—“Make ’Em Like You,” “Rhinestone World,” “Drop,” and “Timeless”—topped the Canadian Country singles chart, earning Smith the CCMA trophies for Entertainer of the Year and Male Artist of the Year. His fourth solo album, Timeless, appeared in 2020; six of its twelve songs reached number one on the Canadian Country singles chart. Later that year the CCMA again named him Entertainer of the Year, repeating the accolade in 2021 along with Male Artist of the Year. Late 2021 brought the single “Hide from a Broken Heart,” followed by a global recording agreement with Big Loud Records that encompassed distribution for his Local Hay imprint.
Albums
Singles
