Toby Smith
The keyboard wizard and sonic architect whose jazzy chords and synth textures defined the early, funky soul of Jamiroquai.
1970–2017 (age 47)·English musician·Birthday: October 29·Generation X
Biography
Toby Smith was the secret ingredient in Jamiroquai's initial explosive success. Recruited by Jay Kay in 1992, he wasn't just a session player; he was a co-songwriter and arranger whose musicality shaped the band's core sound. His fingers brought to life the warm Fender Rhodes electric piano stabs, lush string synthesizers, and infectious Hammond organ riffs that became Jamiroquai's signature. The sophisticated, jazz-inflected harmony and impeccable grooves on early classics like "Emergency on Planet Earth" and "Travelling Without Moving" bore his unmistakable imprint. After a decade of defining an era of acid jazz and global stardom, he left the band to pursue production and other musical projects, but his contribution remains the bedrock of Jamiroquai's most beloved work.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Toby was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Toby Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Toby's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
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
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2017Died at 47
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
Key Achievements
- Co-wrote and performed on Jamiroquai's first four studio albums, which sold millions of copies worldwide.
- Played a central role in crafting the hit singles "Virtual Insanity" and "Cosmic Girl," providing their iconic keyboard parts.
- His musical direction helped Jamiroquai win a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group for "Virtual Insanity" in 1998.
- Contributed to the band's early success in the UK, where their debut album "Emergency on Planet Earth" entered the charts at number one.
Did You Know?
Before Jamiroquai, he was a member of the British acid jazz group The Brand New Heavies for a short period.
He was known for his collection of vintage keyboards and synthesizers, which were essential to creating the Jamiroquai sound.
Smith left Jamiroquai in 2002 to focus on production work and start a family, largely stepping away from the public eye.
The famous music video for "Virtual Insanity," featuring Jay Kay in a moving room, was built around the track Smith helped create.
“The space between the notes is where the funk lives.”
