Toby Smith

Lore & Background

Toby Smith was born on 29 October 1970 to John Jeremy ('Jinx') Grafftey-Smith, a merchant banker, and his wife Lucy. He was educated at Marlborough College, where he developed his musical skills. His grandfather, Sir Laurence Grafftey-Smith, was a diplomat who served as High Commissioner for the U.K. in Pakistan from 1947 to 1951 and Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1945 to 1947. Smith married Gabriella, daughter of David Offley Crewe-Read; they had three children.

While Jay Kay was forming Jamiroquai, he was encouraged by his manager to enlist Smith. Having been with the band since 1992, Smith left Jamiroquai on 29 April 2002 during the Funk Odyssey tour due to family commitments. He later worked as the music producer and manager for the English pop rock band The Hoosiers. Smith produced the 2009 album Caught in the Headlights for the British band Absent Elk. In 2013, he co-produced Matt Cardle's third album, Porcelain, as well as providing writing contributions to several songs. He owned Angelic Recording Studios based near Banbury.

Smith died on 11 April 2017, having been diagnosed with cancer six years earlier. He was 46 years old.

Reader's Guide

Toby Smith's significance lies primarily in his role as keyboardist and co-songwriter for Jamiroquai during the band's most commercially successful period, from 1992 to 2002. He contributed to all five of the band's albums released in that span, including Emergency on Planet Earth, The Return of the Space Cowboy, Travelling Without Moving, Synkronized, and A Funk Odyssey. His departure in 2002 marked the end of an era for the band. After leaving Jamiroquai, Smith transitioned into production and management, notably working with The Hoosiers and producing albums for Absent Elk and Matt Cardle. His ownership of Angelic Recording Studios also contributed to the British music scene. His legacy is that of a key creative force in one of the defining British funk and acid jazz bands of the 1990s, as well as a respected producer and mentor to later artists.