Brett Smiley
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| Brett Smiley | |
|---|---|
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| Name | Brett Smiley |
| Birth date | 1955 |
| Birth place | Suffolk County, New York |
| Death date | 2005 |
| Death place | New York City |
| Occupation | Singer, songwriter, actor |
| Years active | 1968–2005 |
Brett Smiley was an American singer, songwriter, and performer associated with the glam rock and theatrical pop scenes of the early 1970s and later revival movements. He recorded for Elektra Records and worked with figures from London's music and theater circles before becoming a cult figure in New York City nightlife and alternative cabaret. His career intersected with performers, producers, and venues across the United States and the United Kingdom, influencing later artists and being revisited in retrospective projects.
Early life and education
Smiley was born in 1955 in Suffolk County, New York and raised in a milieu connected to Long Island's suburban culture and the broader New York metropolitan area. He attended local schools while participating in community theater and choruses that put him in contact with mentors from institutions such as Juilliard and regional conservatories. During his adolescence he traveled to London and engaged with scenes centered on Covent Garden and West End theater, where he encountered producers associated with labels like Elektra Records and figures who would collaborate with artists represented by Island Records and EMI. His early exposure included meetings with musicians and impresarios from Chelsea and Soho, London, as well as visits to venues connected to promoters tied to Bill Graham-style circuits and theatrical producers from Broadway.
Career
Smiley's professional recording career began with sessions produced for Elektra Records in the early 1970s, working alongside arrangers and session musicians who had credits with artists on Atlantic Records and RCA Records. He released singles that placed him within the same era as David Bowie, Marc Bolan, Roxy Music, T. Rex, and Lou Reed, and he performed at venues frequented by patrons of Max's Kansas City and CBGB. Through the 1970s he navigated scenes connected to managers and agents from agencies such as William Morris Agency and promoters with ties to Warner Bros. Records. After a period of limited commercial success, he resurfaced in the 1990s and 2000s collaborating with musicians from Patti Smith's circle, producers linked to Brian Eno, and theater directors who had worked with companies like The Public Theater and La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. His recorded output includes a posthumous compilation assembled by labels and curators interested in glam and cult pop, featuring contributions from session players associated with The E Street Band and studio engineers who worked for Electric Lady Studios.
Musical style and influences
Smiley's vocal delivery and stage persona drew comparisons to performers from the glam and art rock tradition including David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Marc Bolan, and Scott Walker. His arrangements showed affinities with producers and composers linked to Phil Spector's wall of sound techniques, orchestral pop associated with Burt Bacharach, and cabaret-inflected songwriting reminiscent of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht collaborators. He cited inspirations from American and British songwriters such as Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Elton John, and Leonard Cohen, as well as theatrical influences from Marlene Dietrich and performers of the Weimar Republic era. Instrumentation on his recordings featured session musicians who had worked with The Rolling Stones, The Who, and The Beatles alumni projects, blending rock, orchestral pop, and cabaret to create a hybrid often associated with glam revivalists and indie curators.
Film and theater work
Aside from recording, Smiley participated in theatrical productions and cabaret presentations in venues linked to Off-Broadway circuits and London's West End. He collaborated with directors and designers who had worked with companies like Royal Court Theatre and the National Theatre and appeared in multimedia projects that intersected with filmmakers tied to the No Wave and independent film movements. His stage appearances placed him alongside performers who also worked in film adaptations produced by companies related to Miramax and independent distributors that showcased at festivals such as the Sundance Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival. Smiley's theatrical sensibility informed music videos and short films created with cinematographers who had credits on projects produced by companies involved with MTV and art-house distributors.
Personal life
Smiley lived much of his life in New York City and maintained ties to artistic communities in London, Los Angeles, and Paris. He associated with a network of musicians, actors, and designers who had connections to collectives such as The Factory alumni and collaborators from scenes around Greenwich Village and SoHo, Manhattan. Friends and collaborators included individuals who worked with institutions like The Metropolitan Museum of Art and patrons who supported performing arts at venues connected to Lincoln Center. His private life intersected with activism and cultural circles involved with organizations similar to ACT UP and arts advocacy groups, reflecting the intersections of nightlife, health, and community in late 20th-century urban centers.
Legacy and reception
Posthumously, Smiley's work has been reappraised by music historians, curators, and labels specializing in glam, cabaret, and cult pop, appearing in compilations and box sets released by archival imprints associated with Rhino Records-style reissues and boutique labels that also handle catalogs for Cherry Red Records and Sundazed Music. Critics and scholars have compared his career trajectories to those of Arthur Lee, Brian Jones, and other cult figures whose work found renewed interest through retrospectives at institutions like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and exhibits mounted by museums such as the Victoria and Albert Museum. Contemporary performers citing his influence include artists from the indie cabaret and glam revival scenes who perform at festivals and spaces connected to South by Southwest and Glastonbury Festival. Smiley's recordings continue to circulate among collectors, DJs, and scholars focused on the crosscurrents of New York City and London popular music in the 1970s and beyond.
Category:American singers Category:1955 births Category:2005 deaths