Elliott Smith

Elliott Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003) was an American songwriter and musician from Portland, Oregon, who rose to prominence when his song "Miss Misery" from the Good Will Hunting soundtrack was nominated

Elliott Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003) was an American songwriter and musician from Portland, Oregon, who rose to prominence when his song "Miss Misery" from the Good Will Hunting soundtrack was nominated for an Oscar in the best original song category in 1998.

Elliott Smith was born Steven Paul Smith on August 6, 1969 in Omaha, Nebraska. His parents divorced about a year later, and Smith went to live near Dallas, Texas, with his mother and stepfather. Smith learned to play both the piano and guitar as a child and wrote his first song when he was 13. At 14, Smith moved from Texas to Portland, Oregon, to live with his father, Gary. He graduated from Lincoln High School on June 3rd, 1987. He began calling himself Elliott, since he thought Steve sounded too much like a jock name. No one is quite sure why he chose "Elliott." Some speculate it came from a street name in Portland, some say it was an idea of his girlfriend's at the time, and was the last name of her ex-boyfriend. Elliott is spelled with two "t"s like the last name. Others, however, believe that his name may be related to the American Revolutionary folk singer of the 18th century, Gilbert Elliot. During high school, in the early/mid 1980s, he was part of the band Stranger Than Fiction (w/ Garrick Duckler, Jason Hornick, and Adam Koval). Smith graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, with a degree in philosophy and political science. After returning to Portland, Smith formed the band Heatmiser in 1991 with Neil Gust, Tony Lash, and Brandt Peterson (later replaced by Sam Coomes of Quasi). Heatmiser disbanded in 1996. He recorded three solo albums on independent labels (including Kill Rock Stars) and two more on DreamWorks Records. His final album was released posthumously by the Anti label in 2004.