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NEIL'S BIO
Neil
grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana and had his first experience with
music at the age of 8 when he took up saxophone in school because it
was the only instrument they offered which was also played by SHA NA NA
(Neil's
favorite band!). By the age of 10, Neil discovered the guitar and just
immersed himself in it teaching himself from books and a few formal
lessons, but mostly by ear from his collection of rock n' roll
records. There wasn't much for a kid to do in Indanapolis besides
find trouble (and Neil found a LOT of it!) so the guitar became his
main outlet throughout his teenage years and he played in many garage
bands during that time. In 1986 when Neil was 18 years old and quite versed on the guitar by that time, he encountered a guitarist wanted ad on a wall while getting a repair done at a local music store. The ad was from a Florida-based band called STEVIE STILETTO who were a punk and pop band with a few records out on an independent label. Apparently their guitarist decided to quit the band in the middle of a road trip and they were looking for someone who could step in right away and get them through the remaining dates. Neil answered the ad, met the band and stayed up all night learning their entire latest album, auditioned the next night and landed the spot. The very next day, Neil quit his job flipping burgers at Hardee's, quit school, dumped his girlfriend, sold his car, moved away from home and was on the road with a crazy rock band!
Eventually, the band landed back in their hometown of Jacksonville, Florida which they used as their home base for several
tours before making the decision to relocate to San Francisco, CA to
participate in the burgeoning punk rock movement underway. Neil continued touring and recording with STEVIE STILETTO for 5 years when in 1991 the band finally imploded in Lubbock, Texas (the singer of the group, Ray McKelvey still performs with a re-worked lineup of the band in Jacksonville, Florida to this day).
Neil then began releasing his own records and CDs as well as touring and recording domestically and overseas on various independent record labels solo and also with such bands as GARGOYLES and WHITE TRASH DEBUTANTES among others.
Neil relocated to Los Angeles in 1999 to take advantage of better music opportunities and began running his own entertainment company providing music services of all types for eventss of all types and it has grown into a successful business which is actually the website you are visiting right now! Neil has an incredible life with his wife Michele, baby son Evan, crazy dog Emma-Lou, tortured cat Bambu, sits on the board of directors for a local business group called LeTip, has found a lot of joy assisting a local church with outreach programs, and still performs throughout Southern California several nights per week.
Neil enjoys making rock, pop and country music, doing session work, helping people celebrate their special life moments and can sometimes even be spotted in character on television and various events as ELVIS POULTRY, The World's Only Chicken Suit ELVIS!
It's good to be NEIL SMITH!
NEIL SMITH ENTERTAINMENT & PRODUCTIONS - P.O. Box 4278, N. Hollywood, CA 91617-0278 PHONE: (818) 754-0828 EMAIL: neil@neil-smith.com