Robert Smith (musician)
The architect of melancholic pop, leading a band that gave a voice to romantic despair with disheveled hair and smudged lipstick.
Born 1959 (age 67)·English rock musician·Birthday: April 21·Baby Boomers
Biography
Robert Smith is the singular, smudged-lipstick vision at the heart of the Cure, a band that evolved from post-punk experimenters into global purveyors of lush, despairing anthems. Forming the group in Crawley, England in the late 1970s, Smith's trembling baritone, inventive guitar work, and deeply introspective songwriting carved a unique path. Through the 1980s, he honed a potent formula, weaving gloomy atmospherics with unexpectedly bright pop melodies on albums like 'The Head on the Door' and the monumental double album 'Disintegration,' a touchstone of gothic rock. His teased hair, smeared makeup, and all-black wardrobe became an enduring uniform for outsiders. Against all commercial logic, Smith's unflinching embrace of sadness and longing connected with millions, culminating in the band's 1992 album 'Wish' and its hit 'Friday I'm in Love.' He has maintained creative control for decades, resisting trends and preserving the Cure's distinctive sound, making them one of the few bands of their era to sustain both critical respect and a massive, devoted following.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Robert was born in 1959, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Robert Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Robert's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1959Born
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1964Started school
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1972Became a teenager
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Could drive
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1977Could vote
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Turned 21
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1989Turned 30
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 40
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 50
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 60
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 67 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led the Cure to commercial and critical success with the 1989 album 'Disintegration', a landmark of alternative rock.
- Won a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music in 2019 with the Cure.
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Cure in 2019.
- The Cure's 1992 single 'Friday I'm in Love' became a global pop hit and enduring cultural staple.
Did You Know?
He is the only constant member of the Cure since its formation in 1976.
He briefly played guitar for the band Siouxsie and the Banshees in the early 1980s.
He turned down an offer to write the score for the 1992 film 'The Crow'.
He and his wife, Mary Poole, have been together since they were 14 and married in 1988.
“It's a very strange thing to be the person who's defined as a spokesperson for a generation of miserable people.”
