Martin Smith (English musician)

Last updated

Martin Smith
MartinSmith.jpg
Martin Smith performing at the Big Church Festival at Wiston, West Sussex in 2022
Background information
Birth nameMartin Smith
Born (1970-07-06) 6 July 1970 (age 53)
Origin Woodford Green, London, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
Instrument(s)
  • Guitar
  • vocals
Years active1992–present
Labels
Website martinsmith.tv

Martin James Smith (born 6 July 1970) is an English vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and producer, best known as the frontman of the Christian rock and worship band Delirious?. He has been a solo artist since Delirious?' disbandment in 2009.

Contents

Career

Before becoming a full-time musician, Smith was a sound engineer at ICC studios in Eastbourne. In 1992, Smith—along with Stewart Smith (no relation) and Tim Jupp—formed The Cutting Edge Band (Delirious?' former name). [1]

In 1995, Smith and his wife were involved in a near-fatal car accident, and during the weeks of his recovery, he decided to become a professional musician. This inspired him to write the song "August 30". In 1996, the band—now known as Delirious?—became a full-time endeavour, producing songs such as "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever", "History Maker", and "Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble?". In 2009, the band announced a break at the end of the year to focus on things close to them. Smith said that he wanted to spend time with his family and devote more time to the CompassionArt project, [2] headed by himself and his wife. [3] Delirious? released a various artists album in January 2009, with Smith appearing on three tracks, and the group later confirmed that they were disbanding permanently after a final concert in November 2009.

In 2012 and 2013, Smith independently released four EPs, titled God's Great Dance Floor: Movements One through Four. The title track was co-written with Chris Tomlin. In 2013, he released his first full albums God's Great Dance Floor Step 01 and God's Great Dance Floor Step 02, each containing the songs from the four EPs, plus new tracks.

Smith has also collaborated with the other members of Delirious? on the 2007 book I Could Sing of Your Love Forever: Stories, Reflections and Devotions. [4] In 2011, he released his autobiography, Delirious: The Autobiography of Martin Smith. [5]

Personal life

Smith has been married to Anna since 1994. She is sister to Delirious?' former bass player Jon Thatcher. [6] They have six children. [7] Their daughter Elle Limebear is a worship singer.

Discography

As a solo artist

With Delirious?

With Delirious? and Amy Grant

With Delirious? and Hillsong

With Delirious? and André Valadão

With Stu Garrard

With Matt Redman

With Graham Kendrick

With Darlene Zschech

With Michael W. Smith

With Taylor Sorenson

With Jars of Clay

With Tim Hughes

With CompassionArt

With Israel Houghton

With Parachute Band

With Jesus Culture

With LZ7

With Army of Bones

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extended play</span> Musical recording longer than a single but shorter than a full album

An extended play (EP) is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 15 to 30 minutes. An "EP" is usually less cohesive than an album and more "non-committal".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delirious?</span> English contemporary Christian band (1992–2009)

Delirious? were an English contemporary Christian band. For the majority of their career, the lineup featured Martin Smith on vocals and guitar, Stu G on guitar and backing vocals, Jon Thatcher on bass guitar, Tim Jupp on keys and piano, and Stew Smith on drums and percussion. Paul Evans took over as drummer for the band's final two years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boo Hewerdine</span> English singer-songwriter

Mark "Boo" Hewerdine is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. His work includes lead singer and creative force behind The Bible, formed in the 1980s, and reformed in 1994, as well as solo recordings and work for film. He has also produced records by several artists, including a long association with Eddi Reader. He has been described as "one of Britain's most consistently accomplished songwriters".

<i>Audio Lessonover?</i> 2001 studio album by Delirious?

Audio Lessonover? is the fourth studio album by the Christian rock band Delirious?, released in August 2001. It gathered considerably less critical acclaim than previous Delirious? albums, both musically and in its lack of overtly Christian lyrics. The sole single released from the album, Waiting for the Summer, reached number 26 in the UK Singles Charts; "Take Me Away", originally planned to be the second single, was released to MP3.com as a free download.

<i>King of Fools</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Delirious?

King of Fools is a studio album by British Christian rock band Delirious?, initially released in June 1997. The full-length project showcased a new mainstream sound, whilst retaining many of the core themes found in their Cutting Edge EPs. Stylistically, the album epitomises the band's similarity to U2, an influence which was highlighted by several critics on its release. King of Fools reached No. 13 on the UK album chart, a career-high for the band, and produced four singles. The second, "Deeper", peaked at No. 20 on the UK singles chart on 11 May 1997. It also includes what is possibly the best known Delirious? song, "History Maker", which the band regularly played live throughout their whole career. The album was listed at No. 85 in the 2001 book, CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music. The album was nominated for a Grammy.

Martin W "Marty" Sampson is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician and former worship leader at the Hillsong Church in Sydney. From the late 1990s until 2019 he featured on the United Live albums and was one of the original Hillsong United band's worship leaders. Sampson's main instrument is the guitar although he also plays the piano, flute and drums. Aside from work for Youth Alive and Hillsong United, Sampson has issued solo albums.

<i>Mezzamorphis</i> 1999 studio album by Delirious?

Mezzamorphis is the second studio album by Christian rock band Delirious?. Released in 1999, it represented a large step towards a more electronic sound for the band and received a huge critical acclaim.

"I Could Sing of Your Love Forever" is a popular Christian rock and worship song by the English contemporary Christian band Delirious?. The song's popularity has reached far beyond the band's; CCLI places the song among the 30 most-sung worship songs in the United States and has been called a "modern worship classic". According to Martin Smith, the author of the song:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stu G</span> Musical artist

Stuart David Garrard better known by the stage name Stu G, is an English vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter. He is one third of US-based Christian contemporary music band One Sonic Society, and is writing and recording as a solo artist.

"History Maker" is the eleventh track on English Christian rock band Delirious?'s album King of Fools. It has become one of the band's best-known songs, and represents King of Fools in almost every one of their live setlists, along with the single "Deeper". "History Maker" was originally recorded as a guitar-driven six-minute rock epic, filled out by strings and synthesisers and featuring two 16-bar guitar solos. The lyrics of the song are on the power of prayer and becoming a "history maker"; i.e., someone who changes the course of history. "History Maker" became the theme song for Teen Mania's 97-98 Acquire the Fire tour, as well as Extreme Dream's YC 2000 in Alberta, Canada.

Cutting Edge is a series of recordings made by the British rock band Delirious?. The songs were originally written for a regular youth event, Cutting Edge, in the band's home town of Littlehampton. Through this, the band gained its first name, The Cutting Edge Band, which was later changed to Delirious? when the band went full-time in 1996.

<i>Kingdom of Comfort</i> 2008 studio album by Delirious?

Kingdom of Comfort is the ninth and final studio album by the British Christian rock band Delirious?, released in the United States on 1 April 2008 and in the United Kingdom on 14 April 2008.

This is a listing of official releases by Phil Keaggy, an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist.

CompassionArt is a charity based in Littlehampton, England, founded by songwriter Martin Smith and his wife Anna, with the aim of generating income from works of art to assist in the relief of suffering around the planet.

<i>CompassionArt</i> (album) 2008 studio album by CompassionArt

CompassionArt is a studio album by the songwriters' charity of the same name. It features the entire CompassionArt song writing team, Paul Baloche, Chris Tomlin, Tim Hughes, Matt Redman, Darlene Zschech, Israel Houghton, Michael W. Smith, Graham Kendrick, Andy Park, Steven Curtis Chapman, Stu Garrard and charity co-founder Martin Smith, along with several other collaborators. All proceeds from the recording directly benefited charities of the songwriters' choosing.

<i>My Soul Sings</i> 2009 live album by Delirious?

My Soul Sings is a live album by the band Delirious?. The album was released on 16 March 2009. It was the band's last new recording before their farewell tour at the end of 2009. It takes its name from the song, My Soul Sings, which was included on Kingdom of Comfort. Generación 12, a Colombian worship band sang part of some songs in Spanish. A special Colombian Edition has been released in South America, to cater for the Colombian market, where Delirious? has a large following.

<i>History Makers</i> 2009 greatest hits album by Delirious?

History Makers is a compilation album by the band Delirious?. It was announced by lead singer Martin Smith during an interview promoting their live album, My Soul Sings. It was released on November 2, 2009, in conjunction with the band's final "History Makers" tour of the UK and mainland Europe. Delirious? previously released two other compilation albums: Deeper, which contained their best-known worship songs, and Libertad, which also contained worship songs re-recorded in Spanish.

<i>Farewell Show: Live in London</i> 2010 live album by Delirious?

Farewell Show - Live In London is the sixth and final live album by the band Delirious?. In November 2009, Delirious? attended the Hammersmith Apollo in London to record their final gig as a live concert album, DVD and Blu-ray in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,000. They concluded their "History Makers - Farewell Tour" with this performance, wrapping up a series of 11 concerts across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and the UK. The album was released on 19 April 2010.

One Sonic Society is a contemporary worship music collective from around the globe. That collective is composed of songwriter Jason Ingram on vocals, guitar and piano, Delirious? lead guitarist Stuart Garrard on guitar and vocals, Hillsong UNITED drummer Paul Mabury on drums and programming, Jonathan Thatcher bass guitarist from Delirious? on bass and synths. The Christian music collective released their debut studio album under the Essential Records label on 28 February 2012 called Forever Reign. Their single "Forever Reign" was put in rotation during 2011 by many US radio stations.

<i>Alan Vega 70th Birthday Limited Edition EP Series</i> 2008 EP series by various artists

Alan Vega 70th Birthday Limited Edition EP Series is a series of eight EPs with contributions from various artists paying tribute to Alan Vega and his band Suicide. The individual 10" vinyl EPs were pressed in limited quantities and released through the London-based label Blast First Petite. According to the project's press release, the series was originally intended to be a monthly year-long series across 12 EPs, but ended up being released periodically over three years starting in 2008, continuing into 2010. The series launched with simultaneous releases of Dream Baby Dream and Shadazz on October 28, 2008. Each EP features one or two artists covering either a Suicide or Alan Vega solo track, paired with either a previously unreleased live or demo version of a Suicide or Vega solo song. Most releases in the series featured what Blast First referred to as a "major" artist and also an "upcoming" artist. Most of the EPs were also released digitally around the time of the 10" vinyl release, with some seeing limited-edition CD releases as well.

References

  1. "About: Biography". Delirious?. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  2. "The end of an era". Delirious? (Press release). 6 July 2008. Archived from the original on 11 July 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
  3. Tear Times, Tearfund, Spring 2010, p.30.
  4. "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever: Stories, Reflections and Devotions". Christian book.
  5. Smith, Martin; Borlase, Craig (4 October 2023). Delirious: The Autobiography of Martin Smith. David C. Cook. ISBN   978-1-43470237-1.
  6. "Delirious.org.uk – FAQ – The Band". delirious.org.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  7. "The Real Mr. and Mrs. Smith, of Delirious? That Is". Christian Post. Retrieved 9 April 2015.