Wendy Smith (singer)

Wendy Smith (born 31 May 1963)[1] is an English musician, best known as being a singer and guitarist in the band Prefab Sprout. In 2015, she became the director of creative learning at The Sage in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England.

Wendy Smith
Born (1963-05-31) 31 May 1963
Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentsVocals
Keyboards
Guitar
Years active1983–present
LabelsKitchenware Records
Websitesproutology.co.uk

Career

Smith was born in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England.[1]

Smith joined the band Prefab Sprout in 1983 after seeing them live in their early concerts,[2] and featured on six of their studio albums as a singer, guitarist and keyboard player.[3] The last album she recorded with the group, was 1997's Andromeda Heights.[4] One review of Prefab Sprout's second studio album, Steve McQueen, described Smith as having "fairy-dusted [the album with her] breathy harmonies."[5]

After an inactive period of the band in the late 1990s, coupled with Smith being pregnant,[6][7] she moved first into teaching,[8] and then becoming the head of practitioner development at The Sage in 2003.[9] She became head of learning and participation at The Sage in 2015.[10]

In 2015, the Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron announced at the party's annual conference that Smith was his teenage pin-up.[11]

Discography
Main article: Prefab Sprout § Discography

Collobarations
  • Contradictions (as Paul Smith and The Intimations), (2015)[12][13]
gollark: You need to program it so it's actually aligned with your values.
gollark: Restrictions don't work if you have a remotely effective self-modifying AI.
gollark: Yes.
gollark: He must have had lots of fighting knowledge to program the Emu War combat system.
gollark: And I have a laptop with a maximum 8-hour battery life!

References
  1. "Wendy Smith - New Songs, Playlists & Latest News - BBC Music". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  2. Wild, David (7 March 1991). "Paddy McAloon: The Last Pop Genius". rollingstone.com. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  3. "Tim Farron 'speechless' after meeting Prefab Sprout pin-up". Belfast Telegraph. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  4. Larkin, Colin, ed. (2007). The encyclopedia of popular music (5 ed.). London: Omnibus Press, in association with Muze. p. 1,989. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  5. "The hottest downloads; must have reissue; book now". The Sunday Times. 8 April 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  6. Berkmann, Marcus (8 February 2014). "Prefab Sprout's comeback gives hope to the over-50s". The Spectator. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  7. "On the Inadvisability of Ever Meeting Your Heroes". Sproutology.co.uk. 8 June 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  8. Cox, Tom (22 March 2000). "Going for a song". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  9. "Paddy McAloon: The return of Prefab Sprout's elusive genius". The Independent. 6 September 2009. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  10. Wonfor, Sam (6 May 2015). "Sage Gateshead announce former Prefab Sprout singer as learning and participation director - The Journal". The Journal. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  11. Kidd, Patrick (21 September 2015). "Lovestuck Lib Dem leader is finally the king of rock and roll". The Times. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  12. "Any Further Questions | Living North". Livingnorth.com. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  13. Ryan, Gary (6 September 2018). "Maxïmo Park's Paul Smith talks new "punchy, grungy" solo album - and backs calls for a second Brexit referendum". Nme.com. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
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