Steven Scott Harwell (born January 9, 1967) is a retired American

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

and

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wr ...

, best known as the former lead vocalist and frontman for the rock band Smash Mouth. He and bassist

Paul De Lisle Paul Gerald De Lisle (born June 13, 1963) is a Canadian musician and songwriter. He is the bassist and the only consistent member of the pop rock band Smash Mouth since their formation in 1994. Early life and education De Lisle was born in Exeter ...

were the only two constant members of the band until Harwell's retirement.

Career

Greg Camp Gregory Dean Camp (born April 2, 1967) is an American songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist. He is best known as the founding guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Smash Mouth (1994–2008, 2009–2011, 2014, 2018–2019). Camp is credited as ...

formed Smash Mouth with Harwell, Kevin Coleman, and

. Harwell was previously a

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

in F.O.S. Harwell was a featured cast member in the sixth season of the VH1

reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

The Surreal Life ''The Surreal Life'' is an American reality television series that records a group of celebrities as they live together in Glen Campbell's former mansion in the Hollywood Hills for two weeks. The format of the show resembles that of '' The Real ...

'' in 2006. He has appeared on other

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a tr ...

shows, as well as making a cameo in the 2001 film ''

Rat Race A rat race is an endless, self-defeating, or pointless pursuit. The phrase equates humans to rats attempting to earn a reward such as cheese, in vain. It may also refer to a competitive struggle to get ahead financially or routinely. The term is ...

''. He is best known for the song "All Star", which was popularized as an internet meme following the release of the 2001 movie

Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 book of the same name by William Steig. It is the first installment in the ''Shrek'' franchise. The film was directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jen ...

. He also performed two songs, "Beside Myself" and "Everything Just Crazy", for the 2013 South Korean-Chinese animated film '' Pororo, The Racing Adventure''. On August 27, 2016, during a performance with Smash Mouth in

Urbana, Illinois Urbana ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, Urbana had a population of 38,336. As of the 2010 United States Census, Urbana is the List of municipalities in Illinois, 38th-most pop ...

, Harwell collapsed on stage and was taken by ambulance to a hospital. The band completed the concert without him, with De Lisle taking over on vocals. In October 2021, the band performed at a beer and wine festival in

Bethel, New York :''This is the article about the Sullivan County, New York town. For the Dutchess County, New York hamlet, see Bethel, Pine Plains'' Bethel is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was estimated at 4,255 in 2010. The ...

, where Harwell appeared to be intoxicated, threatening audience members and performing what looked like a

Nazi salute The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute (german: link=no, Hitlergruß, , Hitler greeting, ; also called by the Nazi Party , 'German greeting', ), or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. Th ...

. Following the performance, Harwell announced his retirement due to ongoing health issues.

Personal life

Harwell had a son named Presley who died in July 2001 from

acute lymphocytic leukemia Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the lymphoid line of blood cells characterized by the development of large numbers of immature lymphocytes. Symptoms may include feeling tired, pale skin color, fever, easy bleeding or bruisin ...

at the age of 6 months. Subsequently, Harwell created a medical research fund in Presley's name.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harwell, Steve 1967 births Living people American male singers American rock singers Musicians from San Jose, California Smash Mouth members