Patty Smyth
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- Note: Patty Smyth is often confused with Patti Smith, the early punk musician.
Patty Smyth (born June 26, 1957 in New York City, New York, USA) first enjoyed mainstream success in 1982 as vocalist and lead singer of the band Scandal. That band's self-titled debut release became Columbia Records' biggest selling EP ever, and was followed by a further hit in 1984, "The Warrior".
In the mid-'80s, Smyth became friends with Valerie Bertinelli and her then-husband, Eddie Van Halen. When David Lee Roth left the band Van Halen, Eddie Van Halen invited Smyth to replace Roth as the band's lead singer. Smyth declined the offer, a decision she has said that she later regretted.
As well as her recording success, Smyth was known for her personal relationships with celebrities, first with punk musician Richard Hell, with whom she had a daughter, Ruby. That relationship only lasted two years. Her current husband is tennis star John McEnroe, whom she married in 1997 and had two more daughters with, Anna and Ava.
Following two solo albums in 1987 and 1992, she secured a further hit record via a duet with Don Henley of The Eagles; "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" peaked at number 2 in the US charts and went gold. Its parent album, Patty Smyth, also went gold and featured two other minor hits, "No Mistakes" and "I Should Be Laughing". She had previously recorded with Don Henley as a backing vocalist on several songs on his albums Building The Perfect Beast and The End of the Innocence.
She subsequently co-wrote the 1994 song "Look What Love Has Done", nominated for a Grammy and an Academy Award after its inclusion on the soundtrack to Junior. Further soundtrack commissions resulted in her penning the theme tune, "Wish I Were You", to the 1998 blockbuster movie Armageddon.
As a result of her renewed popularity, Columbia issued a retrospective album, Greatest Hits -- Featuring Scandal. Two new songs were included, the most notable of which was "Carnival Lights". The song, co-written with Bob Thiele Jr., concerned her mother, Betty Smyth's, years as a trapeze artist. Smyth set out to promote the album on an acoustic tour, employing ex-Bullet Lavolta guitarist Duke Roth as her sideman.
[edit] Albums
With Scandal:
- Scandal (EP) (1982) #39 US
- The Warrior (1984) #17 US
Solo:
- Never Enough (1987) #66 US
- Patty Smyth (1992) #47 US
- Greatest Hits- Featuring Scandal (1998)
[edit] Singles
With Scandal:
- "Goodbye To You" (1982) #65 US
- "Love's Got A Line On You" (1983) #59 US
- "The Warrior" (1984) #7 US
- "Hands Tied" (1984) #41 US
- "Beat Of A Heart" (1984) #41 US
Solo:
- "Downtown Train" (1987) #95 US
- "Never Enough" (1987) #61 US
- "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" (w/Don Henley) (1992) #2 US
- "No Mistakes" (1992) #33 US
- "I Should Be Laughing" (1993) #86 US
