Summary
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.
Toby Smith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Toby Grafftey-Smith |
| Born | 29 October 1970 |
| Origin | London, England |
| Died | 11 April 2017 (aged 46) |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Instrument(s) | Keyboards |
| Years active | 1992–2017 |
| Labels | EMI (1993–2017) |
Background and personal life edit
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]
Career edit
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]
He owned Angelic Recording Studios based near Banbury.[9]
Smith died on 11 April 2017, having been diagnosed with cancer six years earlier.[11] He was 46 years old.[9]
References edit
- ^ "For The Record". MTV. 1 May 2002. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
- ^ "Toby Grafftey-Smith". Thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ "Toby Grafftey-Smith, co-founder of Jamiroquai – obituary". The Telegraph. 29 April 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 2003, vol. 3, p. 3160
- ^ "Sir Laurence Barton Grafftey-Smith - National Portrait Gallery". Npg.org.uk. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 2003, vol. 1, p. 992
- ^ Kay, Jason (March 2013). Emergency On Planet Earth 20th anniversary reissue booklet – Sony Music Entertainment
- ^ "Jay Kay needs new man on (key)board". New Musical Express. 29 April 2002. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d Welsh, April Clare (13 April 2017). "Original Jamiroquai keyboard player Toby Smith has died aged 46". Fact. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
- ^ Norway - My Mark. Eurovision 2015 booklet. 2015. p. 27.
- ^ "Toby Grafftey-Smith, co-founder of Jamiroquai – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 29 April 2017. Archived from the original on 30 April 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
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.