Biography

Sultry-voiced singer/songwriter Patty Smyth was born on June 26, 1957 in New York City. She's of Irish descent. Her show business enthusiast mother not only worked as a trapeze artist and onetime manager for legendary rock'n'roll guitarist Link Wray, but also ran and/or owned several prominent nightclubs in Greenwich Village. Patty performed her first stage music gig at age fifteen at New York's Folk City and honed her craft by playing musical sets at the club Catch A Rising Star. Smyth supported herself by working as a waitress in a steak house prior to landing her breakthrough gig as the lead singer of the rock band Scandal in 1981. Scandal released their self-titled debut EP in 1982; said EP beget the moderately successful hit songs "Goodbye to You," "Love's Got a Line on You," and "Hands Tied." This was followed by the full-length album "The Warrior" in 1984. The rousing titular track soared to #7 on the Billboard pop charts and the album sold over a million copies. Patty embarked on a solo career after Scandal broke up in the mid 80s. She released her first solo album "Never Enough" in 1987. Her self-titled second album came out in 1992 and went gold that same year. Smyth scored a substantial hit with "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough," a poignant duet with Don Henley which peaked at #2 on the Billboard pop charts. Patty sang and co-wrote the song "Look What Love Has Done" for the comedy "Junior;" this song was nominated for Grammy, Golden Globe, and Academy Awards. Smyth went on to co-write and sing the song "Wish I Were You" for the soundtrack of the blockbuster movie "Armageddon." In 2004 Scandal got back together; the group subsequently embarked on a small reunion tour in 2005. The former wife of punk rock icon Richard Hell, Patty has been married to actor husband John McEnroe since 1997 and is the mother of three children.