Patty Smyth facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Patty Smyth
Smyth in April 2011 during the Tribeca Film Festival Vanity Fair party
Background information
Birth name	Patricia Smyth
Born	(1957-06-26) June 26, 1957 (age 68) New York City, New York, US
Genres	Rock pop rock new wave
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Years active	1981–present
Labels	Columbia MCA
Associated acts	Scandal Don Henley the Hooters

Patricia Smyth (born June 26, 1957) is an American singer and songwriter. She became famous with the rock band Scandal. Later, she also had a successful career as a solo artist.

Patty Smyth's unique voice and "new wave" style became very popular. Many people saw her music videos on channels like MTV. Her first solo album, Never Enough, was well-liked. It had two songs that made it into the Top 100 charts. In the early 1990s, she had a huge hit song called "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough." This was a duet with Don Henley from the band Eagles.

She also helped write and sang the song "Look What Love Has Done" for the 1994 movie Junior. This song was nominated for a Grammy Award and an Academy Award.

Early Life and Family

Patty Smyth was born in New York City, New York. She grew up in Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn, which is also in New York City.

Music Career Highlights

Starting a Solo Path

After the band Scandal ended, Patty Smyth had a big opportunity. Her friend Eddie Van Halen asked her to join the famous band Van Halen. She would have replaced their lead singer, David Lee Roth. However, she decided not to join. She was eight months pregnant at the time. She also said that it "was just not the right time" for her. She preferred living in New York and felt the band members were often fighting.

In 1985, she sang backup vocals on the song "Where Do the Children Go" for the Hooters' album Nervous Night.

First Solo Albums

Patty Smyth released her first solo album, Never Enough, in 1987. This album included her version of the song "Downtown Train". It also had the title track, "Never Enough," which she wrote with members of the Hooters. In 1988, she sang "I Run Right Back" for the Caddyshack II movie soundtrack.

Her next solo album, Patty Smyth, came out in 1992. This album featured her very successful duet with Don Henley, "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough." This song reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It sold over 500,000 copies, earning a gold award. The album itself also went gold. It included another Top 40 hit in the US called "No Mistakes."

Songs for Movies

Patty Smyth co-wrote "Look What Love Has Done" in 1994. This song was part of the movie Junior. It was nominated for both a Grammy Award and an Academy Award. She also wrote the theme song, "Wish I Were You," for the 1998 movie Armageddon.

In 2015, Patty Smyth released a Christmas album called Come On December. She used a special fundraising method to support a group called the Headstrong Project. All the money from pre-orders of her album went to this non-profit organization. The album featured the song "Broken." Its music video was filmed at a Veterans of Foreign Wars location.

Scandal Reunion Shows

In 2004, the TV channel VH1 brought Patty Smyth and the remaining members of Scandal together for a show called Bands Reunited. This led to a small tour of concerts on the East Coast of the United States in 2005.

The next year, a new Scandal collection CD was released. It included three songs that had never been released before. In 2008, Billboard magazine announced that the band would release new music. They performed their first new song in over 24 years in January 2009.

Personal Life

Smyth in 2008

Patty Smyth was married to musician Richard Hell from 1985 to 1986. They had one daughter together.

She met professional tennis player John McEnroe in 1993. Their first daughter was born in 1995, and they got married in 1997. They later had another daughter. Patty Smyth and John McEnroe live in a large apartment in Manhattan, New York.

Discography

Albums

Singles

See also

In Spanish: Patty Smyth para niños