THAT’S WHY I LOVE YOU - RICHARD JON SMITH - (1973)

RICHARD JON SMITH - Singer, songwriter and producer, born in Cape Town, South Africa. BIOGRAPHY Smith was an influential and popular figure since the 1970s with albums such as Sweet Mama (1973), Superstar Smith (1974) and Michael Row The Boat (1979), featuring one of his most popular hits, ’Michael Row The Boat Ashore’. Born in Cape Town, Smith scored seven top 20 hits in South Africa between 1973 and 1980, earning the nickname ’Mr Knockout’. With the guidance of producer Clive Calder and Ralph Simon he led the way for other ’coloured’ stars, such as Jonathan Butler, Ronnie Joyce and others. In the early 1980s Smith left South Africa to join Calder and Simon in exile in the UK, during the earliest days of their Jive/Zomba empire. He provided backing vocals to Tight Fit’s chart-topping 1982 version of ’The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ and reached number 63 on the UK charts with the disco-funk hit ’She’s the Master of the Game’ from his eponymous 1983 album.