DER US-AMERIKANISCHE ROCKSÄNGER STEVE HARWELL (SMASH MOUTH) IST GESTORBEN

04.09.2023 Der am 9. Januar 1967 in Santa Clara (Kalifornien) geborene US-amerikanische Sänger, Songwriter und Musiker Steve Harwell (Bild) ist am 4. September 2023 in Boise (Idaho) gestorben. Bekannt wurde er als Frontmann der Alternative-Rock-Band Smash Mouth. Ihren Durchbruch im Musikbusiness hatten sie im Jahr 1997 mit dem Song "Walkin' on the Sun". Ihren grössten Hit feierten sie mit dem im Jahr 1999 veröffentlichten Song "All Star", welcher allerdings erst im Jahr 2001 durch die Filmreihe "Shrek" und durch den Film "Rat Race – Der nackte Wahnsinn" ein grosser Hit geworden ist und damit mehr in den Blickpunkt der Öffentlichkeit gelangt war. Danach galt die Band im Allgemeinen als One-Hit-Wonder. Im Jahr 2021 verliess Harwell die Band und zog sich aus der Öffentlichkeit zurück. (*)

Bild: Steve Harwell, 2013 - Foto: Eva Rinaldi, https://www.flickr.com/photos/58820009@N05/8551822190/(Ausschnitt) - Lizenz: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.de - Datei: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smash_Mouth_-_8551822190.jpg?uselang=de

"Walkin' on the Sun" and "All Star" vocalist announced his retirement in 2021

Harwell had been in hospice care following medical complications. The cause of death was liver failure, Hayes told Rolling Stone.

Hayes said Harwell “passed peacefully and comfortably.” In a statement to Rolling Stone, he offered a lengthy tribute to the artist, who was a staple of Nineties rock music and saw success with multiple albums and singles, selling more than 10 million albums with his band worldwide.

Althea Legaspi

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/steve-harwell-smash-mouth-singer-dead-obituary-1234817636/

The musician had been placed in hospice care in the days leading up to his death

"Steve Harwell passed away this morning September 4, 2023 at his home in Boise Idaho. He was surrounded by family and friends and passed peacefully and comfortably,” reads a statement provided by Smash Mouth manager Robert Hayes.

“Steve Harwell was a true American original. A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle. Steve should be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom. And the fact that he achieved this near-impossible goal with very limited musical experience makes his accomplishments all the more remarkable,” the statement continues.

Mitchell Peters, Ashley Iasimone

https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/steve-harwell-dead-smash-mouth-singer-dies-obituary-1235405811/

Over the last decade Harwell, who had long struggled with alcohol abuse, also suffered from a number of ailments that impacted his motor functions, speech and memory, which increasingly impacted his performances. By October 2021, after a concert in Bethel, N.Y., where the singer appeared to be intoxicated and threatened audience members, he announced his retirement from Smash Mouth due to ongoing health issues.

A.D.Amorosi

https://variety.com/2023/music/news/steve-harwell-dead-smash-mouth-1235712913/

Steve Harwell, Former Smash Mouth Lead Singer, Dies at 56

He was a founding member of the band, which broke out in the late 1990s with hit songs like “Walkin’ on the Sun” and “All Star.”

Claire Moses, Ben Sisario

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/04/arts/music/steve-harwell-smash-mouth-all-star-dead.html

Harwell retired from the band in 2021 over physical and mental health issues

Taking a detour into alternative rock, he began jamming with his old friend, the drummer Kevin Coleman, and later formed Smash Mouth alongside Greg Camp and Paul De Lisle.

Their fusion of pop, ska, surf and punk, along with retro vibes from the 60s, generated an early hit in the shape of Walkin' On The Sun, which topped Billboard's modern rock charts, and helped their debut album Fush Yu Mang enter the Top 40.

Some critics wrote the band off as a one-hit wonder, but Smash Mouth proved them wrong with their second album Astro Lounge in 1999.

Tiffany Wertheimer & Mark Savage

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66706205

Record labels soon showed interest and the group signed with Interscope before releasing their debut album Fush Yu Mang in 1997. With a distinctive sound that blended ska, lounge music, psych-pop and more, topped with Harwell’s hip-hop influenced vocals, the single Walkin’ on the Sun became their first major hit, reaching No 1 on the Billboard modern rock charts and the UK Top 20.

Michael Sun and Ben Beaumont-Thomas

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/sep/04/smash-mouth-steve-harwell-lead-singer-death

Mort de Steve Harwell, fondateur du groupe de rock américain Smash Mouth

Le groupe s’est rendu célèbre notamment grâce à son titre "All Star", utilisé dans la bande originale de "Shrek".

https://www.lemonde.fr/musiques/article/2023/09/04/mort-de-steve-harwell-fondateur-du-groupe-de-rock-americain-smash-mouth_6187814_1654986.html

Vor zwei Jahren hatte er sich aus der Öffentlichkeit zurückgezogen

"Steve Harwell war ein wahres amerikanisches Original«, hieß es auf dem X-Account (ehemals Twitter) von Smash Mouth. Harwell werde »für seinen unerschütterlichen Fokus und seine leidenschaftliche Entschlossenheit« in Erinnerung bleiben. Band-Manager Robert Hayes schrieb bei Facebook: »Ruhe in Frieden, alter Freund.«

ktz / dpa

https://www.spiegel.de/kultur/steve-harwell-ex-saenger-von-smash-mouth-mit-56-jahren-gestorben-a-7193f757-c51f-4aa2-8a24-3307ced1b352

Videos:

Smash Mouth - All Star (Official Music Video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_jWHffIx5E

Smash Mouth - Walkin' On The Sun (Official Music Video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQj--Kjn0z8

Smash Mouth - I'm A Believer - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mYBSayCsH0

Smash Mouth - Why Can't We Be Friends (Official Music Video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5OXON8vIaA

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