Elliot Smith was a songwriter and musician who rose to fame during the mid 1990’s and released several critical albums that shaped the future of indie rock.

In an era dominated by grunge rock, Elliot Smith’s style was polar opposite to the loud, harsh music that was dominating the music scene at the time.

Although he spent most of his formative years living in Portland, Oregon, in the same Northwestern epicenter where grunge rock originated and flourished for the better part of the decade, Elliott Smith crafted his music out of softer tones, haunting melodies and introspective lyrics that showed a true maturity that shadowed the artists troubled complex life..

Elliott Smith was known primarily as an acoustic performer, although he did incorporate electric instruments and drums into his recording work. On most of his recordings, he composed the songs, wrote the lyrics, sang the vocals and played all the instruments. He even dabbled in the recording and mixing process from time to time.

Comparison can be drawn from Elliott Smith’s style to the styles of Big Star’s Chris Bell or Nick Drake in their solo works. All three were known for haunting melodies and lyrical subject matter touching on loneliness, depression and being a general outcast from society.

As with many musicians who fought depression, Elliott Smith’s life ended by suicide.

Elliott Smith’s Childhood and Early Years

Elliot Smith was born “Steven Paul Smith” on August 6, 1969 in Omaha, Nebraska. His mother “Bunny” was an elementary school music teacher and his father “Gary” was a medical student at the University of Nebraska. His parents relationship didn’t last very long and they were divorced a year after he was born.

After the divorce, he moved with his mother to Texas where he spent the majority of his childhood. Although he was never very fond of growing up in Texas and in later years he was vocal about his dislike for the state, he did have a tattoo of Texas on his arm.

He began playing guitar and piano arounf the age of nine and was quick to start writing his own songs instead of just copying songs from records or the radio. Playing music was an escape from his abusive stepfather with whom he had a very troubled relationship.

At 14, he left Texas to go live with his father in Portland, Oregon. Around that time, he began experimenting with drugs and playing in his first high school rock bands, Stranger Than Fiction and A Murder of Crows.

After graduating high school as a National Merit scholar, he began using the first name “Elliott” because he didn’t want to be confused with Steve Smith, the drummer of Journey.

The Heatmiser Era (1991-1993)

While studying at the Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass, Elliot Smith formed the band Heatmiser with a fellow classmate Neil Gust. The band took their name from a fictional character in the children’s television special The Year Without a Santa Claus.

Upon graduation and moving back to Portland, the band added drummer Tony Lash and bassist Brandt Peterson after which they began performing around the Portland area in early 1992.

Heatmiser released three albums : Dead Air (1993), Cop and Speeder (1994) and Yellow No. 5 EP (1994) on the Frontier Records label. The three albums and their live performances were enough to garner the attention of Virgin Records who signed the band. After signing to Virgin, Heatmiser would only release one more record in 1996, Mic City Sons which became their final album.

The band broke up prior to the release of Mic City Sons and Virgin released it on their subsidiary label Caroline. A clause in Heatmiser’s Virgin record contract meant that Elliott Smith was still bound to Virgin it as an individual performer. The contract was later bought out by DreamWorks prior to the release of his album, XO.

Heatmiser was considered an “alternative band” as at the time, the terms “post-hardcore” and “indie rock” had not been used to label bands nor had the 1990’s “grunge” movement come into full effect, which is what most hard rock bands would later be defined as. The vast majority of Heatmiser’s music draws comparison to the Seatlle band, the Screaming Trees crossed with the Smithereens.