Toby Smith | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Toby Grafftey-Smith |
| Born | 29 October 1970 |
| Origin | London, England |
| Died | 11 April 2017 (aged 46) |
| Genres | |
| Occupations | |
| Instrument | Keyboards |
| Years active | 1992–2017 |
| Labels | EMI (1993–2017) |
Toby Grafftey-Smith (29 October 1970 – 11 April 2017), known professionally as Toby Smith, was an English musician, most famous for being the keyboardist and co-songwriter for Jamiroquai [1] from 1992 until his departure in 2002.
Son of John Jeremy ("Jinx") Grafftey-Smith, a merchant banker, and his wife Lucy, Smith was educated at Marlborough College, where he developed his musical skills. [2] [3] His grandfather, Sir Laurence Grafftey-Smith, was a diplomat who served as High Commissioner for the U.K. in Pakistan from 1947 to 1951 and Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1945 to 1947. [4] [5]
Smith was married to Gabriella, daughter of David Offley Crewe-Read; they had three children. [6]
While Jay Kay was forming Jamiroquai, he was encouraged by his manager to enlist Smith. [7] Having been with the band since 1992, Smith left Jamiroquai on 29 April 2002 during the Funk Odyssey tour due to family commitments. [8]
He was the music producer and manager for the English pop rock band The Hoosiers. [9] Smith produced the 2009 album Caught In The Headlights for the British band Absent Elk. [10] In 2013, he co-produced Matt Cardle's third album, Porcelain , as well as providing writing contributions to several songs. [9]
Smith died on 11 April 2017, having been diagnosed with cancer six years earlier. [11] He was 46 years old. [9]
Grafftey-Smith, who faced a diagnosis of cancer six years ago with defiant nonchalance, is survived by his wife, Gabriella, and their three children Anastasia, Dylan and Rose.
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