Rick Smith
Richard Smith (born 25 May 1959) is a Welsh musician and composer. He is a founding member of British electronic music group Underworld and an acclaimed composer, having collaborated extensively with director Danny Boyle, most notably as the musical director for the London 2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony, alongside Underworld's Karl Hyde. He is also a founding member of the multi-discipline design and film collective Tomato.
Also recorded as Richard David Smith
Rick Smith
Mark Harrison · The Sunday Club Artist Management · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Rick Smith
- Birth Name
- Richard Smith
- Born
- 25 May 1959
- Birthplace
- Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Wales
- Occupation
- Musician, composer
- Full name
- Richard David Smith.
- Nationality
- United Kingdom.
- Fields
- music, electronic dance music and electronic music.
- Languages
- English.
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wikidata · Q20878239
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Rick Smith • Landscape — yes • Birth Name — Richard Smith • Born — 25 May 1959 • Birthplace — Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Wales • Genre — Electronic, progressive house, progressive trance, ambient, experimental • Occupation — Musician, composer • Instrument — Keyboards, synthesisers • Years Active — 1978–present • Associated Acts — Underworld, Freur
Career
Career
Smith left a bank clerk job in Llanelli to do an electronic and electrical engineering degree; however, he dropped out during his finals after being asked to join Hyde’s band The Screen Gemz. In 1983, they formed the new wave band Freur and recorded two albums for CBS Records International. The group disbanded in 1986. In 1987, Smith and Hyde formed Underworld, and the pair are the longest and only original serving members of the musical project, still performing together today. Smith worked with director Danny Boyle for two decades after the director used the band's music in his 1996 film Trainspotting. As part of Underworld, Smith scored the soundtrack for Boyle's stage production of Frankenstein in 2011, and in 2012 undertook a solo venture creating the soundtrack to Boyle's film Trance. Smith was appointed the musical director for the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony which was directed by Boyle. Smith worked with Boyle on his 2017 follow-up film T2 Trainspotting.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1959
Rick Smith born at Ammanford.
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The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Rick Smith (musician), revision 1326780213 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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1- AmmanfordPlace
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 05 September 2026.
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