Born in Michigan, USA in 1943, Geoffrey Smith grew up with the diverse sounds of Schubert, jazz and Gilbert & Sullivan. He later trained to become a musician, concentrating on percussion and playing in jazz groups of every style from Dixieland to avant-garde, before the rise of rock discouraged him in 1969. Today he is based in the UK and is a freelance writer and lecturer, contributing articles and reviews to a variety of publications, including BBC Music Magazine, Country Life, New Society and The Spectator. He was also previously the presenter of Jazz Record Requests and Geoffrey Smith's Jazz on BBC Radio 3.
