Brett Anthony Smiley (September 25, 1955 – January 8, 2016)Glam rock cult hero Brett Smiley dies in NYC at age 60
''Herald Net''. Retrieved January 12, 2016. was an American actor and singer-songwriter who was active in the UK during the

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was primarily defined by the flamboyant clothing, makeup, and hairstyles of its musicians, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists d ...

era of the early 1970s. Smiley released one single, "Va Va Va Voom", and made an appearance on the

Russell Harty Frederic Russell Harty (5 September 1934 – 8 June 1988) was an English television presenter of arts programmes and chat show host. Early life Harty was born in Blackburn, Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremon ...

television show, where he performed the song "Space Ace". In 2003, a previously unheard album called ''Breathlessly Brett'' was released. One posthumous vinyl album entitled ''Sunset Tower'' was released in 2019.

Career

Smiley was born in Indiana and began his career as a

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in film, movies. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associa ...

, playing

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

for four years. He also appeared in many television commercials. In 1974, Smiley—who, at the time, was managed and produced by

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

manager

Andrew Loog Oldham Andrew Loog Oldham (born 29 January 1944) is an English record producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967, and was noted for his flamboyant style. Early life Oldham's f ...

—recorded an album, ''Breathlessly Brett.'' However, Oldham feared that the album, which included the songs "Va Va Va Voom" and "Space Ace", would sell poorly, and refused to release it. However, it was eventually released in 2003, when RPM Records included it as part of its Lipsmackin' 70s collection. Smiley also starred as the Prince in the 1977 American erotic musical comedy film '' Cinderella.'' In 2004, rock biographer

Nina Antonia Nina Antonia (born Nina Antonia Benjamin in 1960) is an English author who has chronicled the lives and misadventures of Johnny Thunders, the New York Dolls, Peter Perrett, and Brett Smiley. Antonia's later work explored decadent and supernat ...

published a book about Smiley, ''The Prettiest Star: Whatever Happened to Brett Smiley.'' In 2006, Smiley contributed to the charity album '' Not Alone''. Smiley still performed occasionally until 2015 in New York City, and was recording songs for a new CD. He died on January 8, 2016, after a lengthy battle with

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

and

hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver parenchyma, liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), Anorexia (symptom), poor appetite ...

. His cause of death, though, was a head injury from falling down. In 2019, a posthumous album, ''Sunset Tower'', was released for Record Store Day, with a total of 1000 vinyl records being pressed, as well as it being available online on the website

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

. The album consists entirely of demos recorded between 1969 and 1973 that were later reworked for Breathlessly Brett, or scrapped entirely.

Discography

Singles

* "Va Va Va Voom"/"Space Ace" (1974)

Albums

* ''Breathlessly Brett'' (2003) track listing: # "Brett's Lullaby" # "Highty Tighty" # "Space Ace" # "April in Paris" # "Solitaire" # "Va Va Va Voom" # "Run for the Sun" # "

I Want to Hold Your Hand "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English rock music, rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Recorded on 17 October 1963 and released on 29 November 1963 in the United Kingdom, it was the first Beatles recor ...

" (

Lennon–McCartney Lennon–McCartney is the songwriting partnership between the English musicians John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney (born 1942) of the Beatles. It is widely considered one of the greatest, best known and most successful musical collabo ...

) # "Pre-Columbian Love" # "Queen of Hearts" # "I Can't Help Myself"/"Over the Rainbow" # "Young at Heart" * ''Sunset Tower'' (2019) track listing: # "Highty Tighty" # "Cherry Hookers" # "Abstracted Billy" # "Mood in Deco" # "Space Ace" # "Queen of Hearts" # "Lying in the Sun" # "Diamonds Couldn't Bring You Back"

Other

* "Our Lady of the Barren Tree" ('' Not Alone'', 2006)

References

External links

*
Whatever happened to Brett Smiley? Magnet Magazine Article About Brett Smiley by Kristian HoffmanYouTube Brett Smiley on the Russell Harty showSunset Tower
on

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smiley, Brett 1955 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American musicians 21st-century American musicians American male child actors American male singers American male film actors American male stage actors American rock singers Glam rock musicians Singers from New York City 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians