Steve Smith – Biography, Discography & Instruments

Biography

Steve Smith is a jazz musician who plays drum kit. Steve Smith was born on 21 August 1954 in Whitman. The music is usually filed under jazz, jazz fusion and rock music. The discography here lists 14 albums, from “Vital Information” (1983) to “New Perspective” (2025).

Steven Bruce Smith (born August 21, 1954) is an American drummer best known as a member of the rock band Journey across three stints: 1978 to 1985, 1995 to 1998 and 2015 to 2020. Modern Drummer magazine readers have voted him the No. 1 All-Around Drummer five years in a row. In 2001, the publication named Smith one of the Top 25 Drummers of All Time, and in 2002 he was voted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Journey on April 7, 2017.

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Discography

Studio and live albums

Vital Information 1983 · Columbia Orion 1984 · Columbia

Vitalive! 1990 · Live

Steve Smith and Buddy's Buddies featuring Buddy Rich Alumni 1999 · Tone Center Reimagined, Vol. 1: Jazz Standards 2003 · Bluejay Records

Very Live At Ronnie Scott's London (Playing Music From The Buddy Rich Book) Set Number One (1) 2003 · Live

Very Live at Ronnie Scott's London (Playing Music From the Buddy Rich Book) Set Number Two (2) 2003 · Live

Come On In 2004 · Tone Center Flashpoint 2005 · Mascot Records Vitalization 2007 · Hudson Music Live! One Great Night 2012 · BFM Jazz Viewpoint 2015 · Varèse Sarabande Heart of the City 2017 · BFM Jazz

New Perspective 2025

Also plays on

Albums where Steve Smith is credited as a sideman

1977	Enigmatic Ocean — Jean‐Luc Ponty	drums (drum set)
1985	Edge of Insanity — Tony MacAlpine	membranophone
1985	Champion — Jeff Berlin & Vox Humana	drums (drum set)
1986	A Present for the Future — Frank Gambale	drums (drum set)
1989	Did Jah Miss Me?!? — Tom Coster	drums (drum set)
1991	Note Worker — Frank Gambale	drums (drum set)
1995	Beyond the Thunder — Neal Schon	drums (drum set)
1998	Cause & Effect — Larry Coryell, Tom Coster & Steve Smith	membranophone
1998	Show Me What You Can Do — Frank Gambale, Stuart Hamm & Steve Smith	drums (drum set)
1998	Vital Tech Tones — Scott Henderson, Steve Smith, Victor Wooten	drums (drum set), producer
2000	The Light Beyond — Frank Gambale, Stuart Hamm & Steve Smith	drums (drum set), producer
2001	Count's Jam Band Reunion — Larry Coryell, Steve Marcus, Steve Smith & Kai Eckhardt	drums (drum set), producer
2002	GHS3 — Frank Gambale, Stuart Hamm & Steve Smith	percussion, producer

Historic 78 rpm records

Carney-val in Rhythm Billy Taylor's Big Eight · Emmett Berry · Vernon Brown · "Harvey" ·… · 1944 archive.org ↗
Night Wind Billy Taylor's Big Eight · Emmett Berry · Vernon Brown · "Harvey" ·… · 1944 archive.org ↗
I'M TRUE TO YOU REX STEWART'S BIG EIGHT · Rex Stewart · Tab Smith · Harry Carney ·… · 1944 archive.org ↗
SWAMP MIST REX STEWART'S BIG EIGHT · Rex Stewart · Tab Smith · Harry Carney ·… · 1944 archive.org ↗
ZAZA REX STEWART'S BIG EIGHT · Rex Stewart · Tab Smith · Harry Carney ·… · 1944 archive.org ↗
ZAZA REX STEWART'S BIG EIGHT · Rex Stewart · Tab Smith · Harry Carney ·… · 1944 archive.org ↗
THE LITTLE GOOSE REX STEWART'S BIG EIGHT · Rex Stewart · Tab Smith · Harry Carney ·… · 1944 archive.org ↗
SWAMP MIST REX STEWART'S BIG EIGHT · Rex Stewart · Tab Smith · Harry Carney ·… · 1944 archive.org ↗

Frequently asked questions

What instrument does Steve Smith play?

Steve Smith is known for playing drum kit.

When and where was Steve Smith born?

Steve Smith was born 21 August 1954 in Whitman.

What are Steve Smith's best-known albums?

Albums in our database include Vital Information (1983), Orion (1984), Steve Smith and Buddy's Buddies featuring Buddy Rich Alumni (1999), Reimagined, Vol. 1: Jazz Standards (2003) and Come On In (2004).

External links

Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.