Robert Smith is a British musician and the lead singer of ‘The Cure,’ a British rock band. When he emerges on stage for a performance, he is noted for wearing a lot of makeup—unkempt black hair, black liner on his eyes, and smeared red lipstick. Alternative rock, gothic rock, new wave, and post-punk are among his favorite musical genres. He began playing the guitar at the age of 12 after being influenced by Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, and The Beatles, and was born into a family of musicians. He is a multi-instrumentalist who can play a variety of instruments including four and six-string bass guitars, six and twelve-string guitars, double bass, drums, piano, trumpet, violin, and trombone. His vocal style is characterized by its unpredictability. His words are incredibly poetic and mysterious as a lyricist, reflecting his ‘altered state’ obtained from drug use. He is the sole member of ‘The Cure’ who has been with the band since its inception in 1976. In his 35 years with the band, he penned or co-wrote the majority of the lyrics. Other musical projects in which he has been associated include ‘The Glove’ and ‘Siouxsie and the Banshees.’ ‘Faith,’ a 30-minute track that was utilized in the film ‘Carnage Visors,’ is one of his many vocal contributions.
Childhood and Adolescence
Robert James Smith was born in Lancashire on April 21, 1959, to James Alexander and Rita Mary Smith. He was the youngest of four siblings. His family relocated to Horley, Surrey, when he was three years old. He went to St. Francis Primary School for his education.
He attended St. Francis Primary School, Notre Dame Middle School, and St. Wilfrid’s Comprehensive School after his family moved to Crawley in 1966. By 1977, he had completed his schooling.
Smith’s parents encouraged him and his siblings to follow their musical interests, and Smith began playing the guitar at the age of twelve.
Career of Robert Smith
At the age of 14, he joined the high school band ‘The Crawley Goat Band,’ which also comprised his brother, Richard, sister Janet, and several of his pals.
In 1976, Smith, Laurence Tolhurst, Porl Thompson, and Michael Dempsey established the band “Easy Cure,” with Smith serving as one of the songwriters and singers.
With the departure of Porl Thompson from the group in 1978, the band was renamed ‘The Cure.’ The band was signed to Chris Parry’s Fiction Records label.
The singles ‘Killing and Arab’ and ’10:15 Saturday Night’ were released by the band between 1978 and 1979. ‘Three Imaginary Boys,’ their debut album, was also released. He had become the primary writer for most of ‘The Cure’s’ songs at this point.
For Chris Parry’s record company, Fiction Records, the band agreed to collaborate with ‘Siouxsie and the Banshees.’
In 1979, Smith and Steve Severin of ‘Siouxsie and the Banshees’ went on a UK tour to promote their second album, ‘Join Hands.’
In 1980, Michael Dempsey departed the band and was replaced by bass guitarist Simon Gallup and keyboardist Matthieu Hartly. This was the year that Robert and his band published their third album, ‘Seventeen Seconds,’ which included the smash track ‘A Forest.’
Smith was responsible for the whole recording process of ‘The Cure’ from July 1982 to February 1985. In 1984, Smith released his solo album ‘The Top,’ on which he performed all of the instruments himself except the drums.
The band’s 1989 album, ‘Disintegration,’ reached No. 3 in the UK music chart and No. 12 on the US music chart, with three of its tracks reaching the ‘Top 30’ list in the UK and Germany.
The Cure’s ninth album, ‘Wish,’ was released in 1992 and includes the smash singles ‘High’ and ‘Friday I’m in Love.’
Smith and The Cure released new albums throughout the new millennium. ‘Bloodflowers’ (2000), ‘The Cure’ (2004), and ‘4:13 Dream’ are among them (2008).
From 2010 to 2012, he began to perform solo and collaborated with a number of other musicians on solo covers of Frank Sinatra’s “Witchcraft” and Alice in Wonderland’s “Very Good Advice.”
Major Projects of Robert Smith
The Cure’s album ‘Disintegration,’ released in 1989, peaked at No. 3 on the UK music chart and has since sold over three million copies worldwide.
The band ‘The Cure’ released the album ‘Wish’ in the spring of 1992, and it became an instant hit, landing at No. 1 on the main UK music charts and No. 2 on US charts.
Achievements and Awards
The Cure’s single “Lullaby,” released in 1989, reached number five on the UK music charts. In 1990, it won the Brit Award Best British Video. Smith is responsible for the lyrics, which were inspired by a childhood nightmare.
Tim Burton gave him the Godlike Genius Award at the Shockwaves NME Awards in 2004 for his special performance in the film “Mighty Boosh.”
In 2005, he was awarded the “Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement” for his songwriting and composition abilities.
Personal History and Legacy
In 1988, he married Mary Theresa Poole, whom he met when he was 14 at St. Wilfrid’s. As a wedding gift, he has dedicated his song, “Love Song,” to Mary. They have decided against having children.
Estimated Net Worth
Robert Smith net worth: Robert Smith is an English musician who has a net worth of $25 million. Smith generated his net worth as the backbone of the UK rock band, The Cure. From the age of 13, Smith was involved in various bands: he was in a group called The Crawley Boat band, along with his brother, sister and friends.
Trivia
The magazine ‘Glamour’ named this singer/songwriter from ‘The Cure’ as the ‘Sexiest Singer Alive’ in its July 2013 issue.