Bruce Neal Smith (born 14 December 1960 in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

) is an American musician best known as the

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...

for

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

band

The Pop Group The Pop Group are an English rock band formed in Bristol in 1977 by vocalist Mark Stewart, guitarist John Waddington, bassist Simon Underwood, guitarist/saxophonist Gareth Sager, and drummer Bruce Smith. Their work in the late 1970s crossed d ...

. He has also been a member of

The Slits The Slits were a punk and post-punk band based in London, formed there in 1976 by members of the groups the Flowers of Romance and the Castrators. The group's early line-up consisted of Ari Up (Ariane Forster) and Palmolive (a.k.a. Paloma R ...

and the

New Age Steppers New Age Steppers were a dub collective from the United Kingdom, formed by producer Adrian Sherwood and featuring members of various prominent 1970s UK post-punk groups, including Ari Up and Viv Albertine of the Slits, Mark Stewart and Bruce Smi ...

and is currently performing with

Public Image Ltd Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and dr ...

. He was raised and educated in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, England and was once married to

Neneh Cherry Neneh Mariann Karlsson (born 10 March 1964), better known as Neneh Cherry, is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, occasional DJ and broadcaster. Her musical career started in London in the early 1980s, where she performed in a number of punk roc ...

Career

Smith helped co-found

in 1977 and would play with them until they disbanded in 1981. Smith was also part of the line-up when the band re-formed in 2010. While the Pop Group was still active, Smith also joined

in 1979, replacing

Budgie Budgie may refer to: Arts * Budgie (album), ''Budgie'' (album), the debut album by the Welsh heavy metal band Budgie * Budgie (band), a Welsh heavy metal band from Cardiff * Budgie (musician) (born 1957), English drummer * Budgie (TV series), ''Bu ...

, and would play with them until they disbanded in 1981. After the Pop Group and the Slits, Smith teamed up with

Adrian Sherwood Adrian Maxwell Sherwood (born 20 January 1958, London, England) is an English record producer specialising in the genre of dub music. He has created a distinctive production style based on the application of dub effects and dub mixing technique ...

and performed with the

and various other acts on Sherwood's

On-U Sound Records On-U Sound Records is an English record label known for releasing its own unique flavour of dub music since the 1980s. The label was founded by Adrian Sherwood in 1979/1980 and is home to acts such as Tackhead, Dub Syndicate, African Head Char ...

label. He married

, who was also involved with the New Age Steppers, during this period. Smith and Cherry then went on to form

Rip Rig + Panic Rest in peace (RIP), a phrase from the Latin (), is sometimes used in traditional Christian services and prayers, such as in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist denominations, to wish the soul of a decedent eternal rest and peace. ...

with former Pop Group guitarist

Gareth Sager Gareth Sager (born 10 August 1960 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a British guitarist, keyboardist, musician, composer and songwriter, and is a founding member of The Pop Group, Rip Rig + Panic (with Neneh Cherry), Float Up CP and Head. In h ...

. This band performed from 1981-1983. In 1986 Smith joined

PiL Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and dr ...

for the tour to support their ''

Album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

'' release and became a permanent member of the band, playing on their next two studio albums '' Happy?'' and '' 9''. Smith left PiL in 1990 a few years before the band broke up. However, Smith re-joined the band when

John Lydon John Joseph Lydon (; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the late-1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 1978, and aga ...

reformed it in 2009. In addition to working with his regular bands, Smith has also done a lot of session work, recording with artists such as

Sananda Maitreya Sananda Francesco Maitreya (born Terence Trent Howard; March 15, 1962), who started his career with the stage name Terence Trent D'Arby, is an American singer and songwriter who came to fame with his debut studio album, '' Introducing the Hardl ...

The The () are an English post-punk band. They have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer-songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member. achieved critical acclaim and commercial success in the UK, with 15 chart singles ...

and

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

. Bruce Smith's father was the celebrated

Avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

artist Hassel Smith.

Partial discography

The Pop Group The Pop Group are an English rock band formed in Bristol in 1977 by vocalist Mark Stewart, guitarist John Waddington, bassist Simon Underwood, guitarist/saxophonist Gareth Sager, and drummer Bruce Smith. Their work in the late 1970s crossed d ...

* '' Y'' -

(1979) * ''

For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? ''For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?'' is the second studio album by English post-punk band The Pop Group. It was released on 21 March 1980 through the record labels Rough Trade and Y. Initially released to mixed reviews, the alb ...

'' - The Pop Group (1980) * '' We Are Time'' - The Pop Group (1980) * '' We Are All Prostitutes'' (comp) - The Pop Group (1998) * '' Idealists in Distress From Bristol'' (comp) - The Pop Group (2007) * ''

Citizen Zombie ''Citizen Zombie'' is the third studio album by The Pop Group, released on 23 February 2015 by Freaks R Us. It marks the first album of new studio material by the band since '' For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?'', released thirty- ...

'' - The Pop Group (2015)

Rip Rig + Panic Rest in peace (RIP), a phrase from the Latin (), is sometimes used in traditional Christian services and prayers, such as in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist denominations, to wish the soul of a decedent eternal rest and peace. ...

* ''

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

'' -

(1981) * '' I Am Cold'' - Rip Rig + Panic (1982) * ''

Attitude Attitude may refer to: Philosophy and psychology * Attitude (psychology), an individual's predisposed state of mind regarding a value * Metaphysics of presence * Propositional attitude, a relational mental state connecting a person to a pro ...

'' - Rip Rig + Panic (1983) * '' Knee Deep in Hits'' (comp) - Rip Rig + Panic (1990)

Public Image Ltd Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and dr ...

* '' Happy?'' -

(1987) * '' 9'' - Public Image Ltd (1989) * ''ALiFE 2009'' (live) - Public Image Ltd (2009) * ''Live at Isle of Wight Festival 2011'' (live) - Public Image Ltd (2011) * '' This is PiL'' - Public Image Ltd (2012) * '' What the World Needs Now... '' - Public Image Ltd (2015)

Others

* ''

'' -

(1980) * ''Threat To Creation '' - Creation Rebel / New Age Steppers (1981) * ''

Return of the Giant Slits ''Return of the Giant Slits'' is the second studio album by English punk band the Slits, released in 1981 by CBS Records on LP and cassette. In comparison with its widely acclaimed predecessor, ''Cut'', released in 1979, it showcases a rhythmic, ...

'' -

(1981) * ''Environmental Studies '' - African Head Charge (1982) * ''

Sir Henry at N'didi’s Kraal ''Sir Henry at N'didi's Kraal'' is the fourth and final solo album by Vivian Stanshall. It is a return to the largely spoken-word, solo comedy format of Stanshall's second album '' Sir Henry at Rawlinson End'' and is a sequel to the same work. ...

'' -

Vivian Stanshall Vivian Stanshall (born Victor Anthony Stanshall; 21 March 1943 – 5 March 1995) was an English singer-songwriter, musician, author, poet and wit, best known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, for his exploration of the British upper ...

(1984) * ''

Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby ''Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby'' is the debut studio album by Terence Trent D'Arby. It was released in July 1987 on Columbia Records, and debuted at number one in the UK, spending a total of nine weeks (non-consecut ...

'' -

Terence Trent D'Arby Sananda Francesco Maitreya (born Terence Trent Howard; March 15, 1962), who started his career with the stage name Terence Trent D'Arby, is an American singer and songwriter who came to fame with his debut studio album, ''Introducing the Hardlin ...

(1987) * ''

Dusk Dusk occurs at the darkest stage of twilight, or at the very end of astronomical twilight after sunset and just before nightfall.''The Random House College Dictionary'', "dusk". At predusk, during early to intermediate stages of twilight, enou ...

'' -

(1992) * ''

Debut Debut or début (the first public appearance of a person or thing) may refer to: * Debut (society), the formal introduction of young upper-class women to society * Debut novel, an author's first published novel Film and television * ''The Debu ...

'' -

(1993) * ''Sweetback'' - Sweetback (1996)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Bruce English rock drummers The Pop Group members Public Image Ltd members Rip Rig + Panic members Living people Musicians from Bristol British post-punk musicians 1957 births The Slits members