With a career spanning over five decades, Steve Smith has single-handedly inspired generations of drummers. In this video, Steve talks about his life, career and his plans for his looming appearance at The Europe Drum Show 2025.
Alongside this, Steve tells us how the intro of ‘We Will Rock You’ was actually recorded! You can catch Steve across the 29th and 30th March 2025 as he takes to the main stage of The Europe Drum Show and he will also be appearing in the Mike Dolbear Masterclass Room for a more intimate performance…be sure not to miss out – grab your tickets now: https://www.theeuropedrumshow.com
01:18 – This or that
04:25 – Biggest Spinal Tap moment
08:00 – The Europe Drum Show 2025
12:00 – Top of the game
17:10 – Preferred genre of music?
20:55 – Advice for drummers
26:00 – Steve’s legacy
Steve Proudly Plays…
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BIOGRAPHY:
Steve Smith’s drumming, while decidedly modern, can best be described as a style that embodies the history of U.S. music. Steve is active as a bandleader (Steve Smith and Vital Information) as a featured sideman (Mike Stern Group, Zakir Hussain’s Masters of Percussion, Steps Ahead, Hiromi-The Trio Project) and as an educator/clinician.
Steve Smith grew up in the Boston area and started playing drums at the age of nine in 1963. He studied music at the Berklee College of Music from 1972 to 1976 with Alan Dawson and Gary Chaffee as his private instructors. Over the past 50 years he has toured and recorded with some of the biggest names in jazz and rock – appearing on recordings that have sold over 100 million copies worldwide – including Journey, Bryan Adams, Mariah Carey, Zucchero and Jean-Luc Ponty. Other notable jazz artists Smith has played with include Buddy DeFranco, Benny Golson, Ahmad Jamal, Dave Liebman, Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, Bill Evans, Hiromi and Zakir Hussain.
Smith produced and played on a series of sixteen jazz albums for the Tone Center label featuring players such as Frank Gambale, Stu Hamm, Oteil Burbridge, Larry Coryell, Jerry Goodman, Howard Levy, Steve Marcus, Scott Henderson and Victor Wooten. His release The Best Of Steve Smith – The Tone Center Collection is a sample of some of his favorite tracks from those collaborations. From 2016-2019 Steve Smith toured with the iconic rock band Journey, the group in which he recorded nine albums with massive hits. A highlight of that collaboration is DVD/CD set titled Journey Live In Japan 2017 Escape & Frontiers. In 2017 Smith was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
2023 was the 40th Anniversary of Smith Smith’s group Vital Information. The new trio incarnation of Vital Information features two young virtuosos: Manuel Valera on keyboards and Janek Gwizdala on electric bass. Their 2023 release is titled TIME FLIES. Wounded Bird Records has also recently released The Complete Columbia Recordings, a four CD set of the first four Vital Information albums recorded and released from 1983-1988.
Steve Smith was voted “#1 Fusion Drummer” in the 2012 Modern Drummer readers poll and his Modern Drummer Legends book was voted #1 Educational Product of 2023. Smith has previously been voted “#1 All-Around Drummer” in the Modern Drummer Magazine Readers Poll for five consecutive years from 1987-1991. The 2008, 2009 and 2010 Drum! Magazine readers voted Smith #1 Jazz Drummer. In 2001 Steve was named by Modern Drummer Magazine as one of the “Top 25 Drummers of All Time.” In 2002, he was voted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame and in 2003 his Hudson Music DVD Steve Smith Drumset Technique – History of the U.S. Beat was voted #1 Educational DVD.” Hudson Music released Steve’s DVD/CD Drum Legacy – Standing on the Shoulders of Giants in 2008, which was voted Best DVD of 2009 by the readers of Drum! Magazine. In 2017 Steve topped an unprecedented three categories in the Modern Drummer poll: #1 Rock Drummer, #1 MVP and #1 Educational Product for his Hudson Music Book/Video Pathways Of Motion. In 2018 MD readers voted Smith #1 Classic Rock Drummer.
