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Early life
Elliott Smith, born Steven Paul Smith. He was born on August 6, 1969, in Omaha Nebraska United States. His parent Gary Smith and Bunny Berryman got divorced when he was six months. He lived with his mother who got remarried. His stepfather sexually abused him. He had a very traumatic childhood. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/steven-paul-smith-1333.php -
Getting into music
He learned to play the guitar at the of 10. He also started to compose his own original music and played a piece at an art festival which he won a price from. He moved to Oregon when he was 14 with his father step-mother and two half-sisters. Coming from a corrupted household he started using drugs and alcohol. He also started exploring music as a professional career and began to record his music with a borrowed recorder. -
Education
In spite of his home life, he managed to perform well in his studies. He graduated from high school as a National Merit Scholar. After graduation, he started calling himself Elliott instead of Steven. -
College
He went to Hampshire College in Massachusetts and graduated in 1991 with a degree in philosophy and political science. During college, he met Neil Gust who shared his dreams of building a musical career. The two formed a band called 'Heatmiser’ including a bassist and a drummer. -
The band
The band 'Heatmiser' released an Extended play of six demo songs. They later released their first album called 'dead air'. Then they released another Extended play called 'Yellow No. 5'. Their second album ‘Cop and Speeder’ got sold out. The band wasn't doing well enough to support the band financially so Elliott had to do jobs on the side. -
Solo career
Elliott started exploring a solo career. He brought out his first album as a solo artist which was titled ‘Roman Candle’. Many of Elliott’s songs reflected the pain of his difficult childhood. -
Fame
His album ‘Either/Or’, he performed on multiple instruments. A music review quoted the songs as his “best ever”. Even though he was finding much fame and success, he also began suffering from depression and alcoholism during this time. -
"Miss Misery"
His song ‘Miss Misery’ featured on the soundtrack of the movie ‘Good Will Hunting’ . He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song and was requested to play the songs at many of his tours. -
Mental Health
Elliott Smith was a drinker and drug user and was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and major depressive disorder. His struggles with drugs and mental illness affected his life and work and often appeared in his lyrics. -
Death
At the age of 34, his girlfriend found him having two stab wounds to the chest. There are many conspiracies whether Elliott's death was caused by homicide or suicide.
