The Chelsea Smiles are a

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

band formed in 2004 featuring

Karl Rosqvist Karl Rosqvist, also known as Karl Rockfist, is a Swedish drummer. He played in the Swedish metal band Sorg in the early to mid 1990s. In 2001 he joined the California-based band Steel Prophet who are considered pioneers in the American power ...

of Danzig,

Steel Prophet Steel Prophet is an American power metal band led by the founder and main writer Steve Kachinsky. History The band started in 1984 in Middletown, Connecticut. The group's initial lineup consisted of Kachinsky on guitar, Gary Stocking on vocals ...

, Skye Vaughan-Jayne of Bullets and Octane, Johnny Martin and RJ Ronquillo.

History

The band was formed by guitarist

Todd Youth Todd Schofield (May 15, 1970 – October 27, 2018), known as Todd Youth, was an American guitarist, best known for his work with Warzone, Murphy's Law and Danzig. Biography Starting in 6th grade, Todd began sneak out from home into New Yo ...

in the aftermath of his Danzig exit, just before forming the Chelsea Smiles, Youth had played some shows with

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1975 by bassist and lead vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. Kilmister was the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band a ...

filling in on guitar for Phil Campbell. Youth was joined in the formation of the Chelsea Smiles by drummer,

("Rockfist") (formerly of

), Danzig, bassist Johnny Martin and

Christian Martucci Christopher Anthony Martucci (born June 5, 1977), known professionally as Christian Martucci, is an American guitarist and vocalist. He is the lead guitar player for The Drowns, Stone Sour, Corey Taylor, and former member of Black Star Riders. ...

who previously played with

Dee Dee Ramone Douglas Glenn Colvin (September 18, 1951 – June 5, 2002), better known by his stage name Dee Dee Ramone, was an American musician. He was the bassist, occasional lead vocalist and a founding member of the punk rock band the Ramones. Throughou ...

's band. Together they released a four song EP named "''Nowhere Ride''" in 2005 on

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

, the following year, vocalist Martucci left the band to form Black President. He was replaced by Skye Vaughan-Jayne, former Bullets And Octane guitarist/songwriter. The band toured with several notable bands such as

Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. It consists of Mike Ness (vocals, guitar), Jonny Wickersham (guitar), Brent Harding (bass), David Hidalgo Jr. (drums), and David Kalish (keyboards). Emerg ...

The Datsuns The Datsuns are a hard rock band from Cambridge, New Zealand, formed in 1998. Founding mainstays are Rudolf "Dolf" de Borst on vocals and bass guitar, and Christian Livingstone and Phil Somervell, both on guitar. They have released seven album ...

and the reformed

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground, the MC5, and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved ...

.Acetate.com - Chelsea Smiles
A debut full-length album titled; "'' Thirty Six Hours Later''" followed with a US release date on November 7, 2006. Vocal duties on the album were shared by both Todd and Skye. The record was released in Europe in early December 2006, the Chelsea Smiles toured the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

with Swedish rockers

Backyard Babies Backyard Babies is a Swedish Rock music, rock band originally from Nässjö and currently based in Stockholm. The band was formed in 1987 and have released eight studio albums, in addition to winning two Grammis, Swedish Grammy Awards. They ...

, etc. in support of the record as well as many headlining tours in Europe and the US. Detroit native and LA studio musician RJ Ronquillo joined The Chelsea Smiles in January 2009. RJ, who is an in-demand studio player, met Todd Youth through the various studio work they both do in the Los Angeles area. RJ has played on albums from

Ricky Martin Enrique Martin Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography incorporati ...

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...

2pac Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

and DMX, to name a few. In March 2009 The Chelsea Smiles signed a worldwide licensing deal with DR2/Demolition Records to release the group's new record which came out in March 2009, and the band toured in support of the record in the United Kingdom and in the US. Youth died on October 27, 2018, at the age of 47.

Members

;Current *Skye Vaughan-Jayne - lead vocals * RJ Ronquillo - vocals, guitar * Johnny Martin - bass, vocals *

("Rockfist") - drums * Ty Smith - drums ;Former *

- guitar/vocals *

- vocals, guitar (Died 2018)

Discography

Album

*'' Thirty Six Hours Later'' - (2006) Acetate Records/People Like You Records. *''The Chelsea Smiles'' - (2009) Demolition Records/ DR2 Records.

EP

*''Nowhere Ride'' - (2005) Capitol Records/ EMI Records

Soundtrack

* ''

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

'' Soundtrack - (2006) Touchstone Pictures/ Disney * ''

Flatout 2 ''FlatOut 2'' is an action racing video game developed by Bugbear Entertainment and published by Empire Interactive for Windows, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It was released in Russia on June 29, 2006, in Europe on June 30, and in North America on A ...

'' In-Game Soundtrack (2006) * ''

Park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

'' Soundtrack (2007) * Close To Home (2006 TV-series) Warner Brothers

References

External links

The Chelsea Smiles

Interview links

Interview with Todd Youth on Trilogy Rock (Spain)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chelsea Smiles Hard rock musical groups from California Musical groups established in 2004