Kendra Smith | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Champlin, MN |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, musician |
| Instrument(s) | Flute, Piano |
| Years active | late 1970s – present |
| Labels | 4AD |
Kendra Smith (born 14 March 1960, San Diego, California)[1] is an American musician who was a founding member of Dream Syndicate, a member of Opal, and later recorded as a solo artist.
After one privately pressed release with Suspects in 1979, Smith formed The Dream Syndicate in 1981 with Steve Wynn, and went on to record two albums and an EP as bassist with the group before leaving in 1984 to join former Rain Parade guitarist David Roback in Rainy Day (she had worked with Roback before, providing backing vocals on the Rain Parade album Emergency Third Rail Power Trip).[1]
Rainy Day released an album and a single in 1984 before Roback and Smith became a duo in the psychedelic-tinged band Opal.[2]
Opal only released one record before they split up, the Northern Line EP, but recorded enough material for two compilation albums, Happy Nightmare Baby and Early Recordings.[3] Smith left Opal during the band's final tour and was replaced by Hope Sandoval, with Opal changing its name to Mazzy Star after the tour.[2]
Smith formed a new band, The Guild of Temporal Adventurers, with Jonah Corey and A. Philip Uberman,[4] who released an eponymous mini-LP in 1992, with Smith playing the pump organ, but her next release would not be until 1995 when her solo debut, Five Ways of Disappearing was issued on the 4AD label, and was described by Trouser Press as "an impressive — and colorful — achievement".[2][5]
Not much is known about her after the solo album came out except according to 4AD she had moved to the woods of Northern California in the early 1990s, living in a small cabin with no electricity, and returned there after making two appearances to promote the album.[6]
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