Brent Smith

Brently Stephen Smith^[7] was born January 10, 1978, in Knoxville, Tennessee.^[8] Interview-based reporting from Noisecreep in 2010 states that Smith was an only child.^[9]

Prior to fronting the rock band Shinedown, Smith was the lead singer in a band called Dreve.^[10] Eventually, Dreve got signed to Atlantic Records,^[10][11][12] with Smith and his bandmates traveling to Los Angeles, California, to record with well-known producer Desmond Child.^[11] Shortly after returning home to Knoxville, Atlantic dropped the band but retained Smith.^[11][13] Atlantic signed Smith to a developmental contract, with Smith needing to either find another band or lose his record deal.^[13] He put together Shinedown shortly after, moving to Jacksonville, Florida to begin working on the project in 2001.^[14][15]

Brad Stewart, the band's bassist, was the first member Smith recruited, through local Jacksonville music producer Pete Thornton.^[14] Smith and Stewart began recording demos together in a small local studio, whose owner recommended they meet with her fiancé, guitarist Jasin Todd, who Smith brought in as the third member.^[14] The original lineup was rounded out by drummer Barry Kerch, who was the seventh drummer the band had auditioned for the spot.^[14] The four worked together on creating demos, and submitted their work-in-progress material to Atlantic, who approved of the material and green-lighted a full-length album.^[14] The band's debut album, Leave a Whisper was released May 27, 2003.^[1] The album was eventually certified platinum, indicating sales of over one million copies.^[16] In 2010, Smith was featured on the Apocalyptica song, "Not Strong Enough" from the album 7th Symphony.^[17] In 2013, Smith was featured on the Halestorm "Here's to Us (Guest Version)".^[18] In 2014, Smith collaborated with In This Moment on the song, "Sexual Hallucination", from the album, Black Widow.^[19] In 2014, Smith and Zach Myers started an acoustic side project called Smith & Myers. As a duo they have released three EPs: Acoustic Sessions (2014), Volume I (2020), and Volume II (2020).^[6] On August 28, 2022, Brent was presented with a key to Knox County at a concert in Knoxville, Tennessee, by former wrestler and current Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs.^[20] Shinedown has since released seven more studio albums: Us and Them (2005),^[21] The Sound of Madness (2008),^[22] Amaryllis (2012),^[23] Threat to Survival (2015),^[24] Attention Attention (2018),^[25] Planet Zero (2022),^[26] and Eight (2026).^[27] On August 28, 2022, Smith was presented with a key to Knox County at a concert in Knoxville, Tennessee, by former wrestler and current Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs.^[28] In 2014, Smith and Zach Myers started an acoustic side project called Smith & Myers.^[6]

In 2008, Smith had a son with his then fiancée, Ashley.^[29] Smith struggled with drugs and alcohol^[30][31] managing his weight.^[31] Following an intervention from his then-girlfriend, "Theresa", Smith states, in interview, that he quit drinking, and lost weight through a healthier diet and exercise.^[31] Smith says that his former girlfriend, his son, and his fans inspired him to lose weight and become healthier.^[31][32]