Toby Smith
Background information
Birth nameToby Grafftey-Smith
Born(1970-10-29)29 October 1970
OriginLondon, England
Died11 April 2017(2017-04-11) (aged 46)
Genres
Occupation(s)
Instrument(s)Keyboards
Years active1992–2017
LabelsEMI (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.

Background and personal life

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

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

  1. ↑ "For The Record". MTV. 1 May 2002. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  2. ↑ "Toby Grafftey-Smith". Thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  3. ↑ "Toby Grafftey-Smith, co-founder of Jamiroquai – obituary". The Telegraph. 29 April 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  4. ↑ Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 2003, vol. 3, p. 3160
  5. ↑ "Sir Laurence Barton Grafftey-Smith - National Portrait Gallery". Npg.org.uk. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  6. ↑ Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 2003, vol. 1, p. 992
  7. ↑ Kay, Jason (March 2013). Emergency On Planet Earth 20th anniversary reissue booklet – Sony Music Entertainment
  8. ↑ "Jay Kay needs new man on (key)board". New Musical Express. 29 April 2002. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Welsh, April Clare (13 April 2017). "Original Jamiroquai keyboard player Toby Smith has died aged 46". Fact. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  10. ↑ Norway - My Mark. Eurovision 2015 booklet. 2015. p. 27.
  11. ↑ "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.
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