User:Universal Cereal Bus/DS

Danny Smythe (born August 25, 1948, Memphis, Tennessee) is an American illustrator, photographer and drummer. He was a member of the Box Tops from 1963 (when they were known as the Devilles) to 1968. He rejoined them when they reformed in 1996 and is still with them today.

He was born to parents Joe and Gayle. The family also included one younger brother, Phil. After attending St. Michael's grade school, he attended Christian Brothers High School, graduating in 1966.

On his 15th birthday, he received his first set of drums. One year later, his first band, The DeVilles was formed. At the time, one of the highlights at any dance was the performance of a drum solo. Danny had one of the best solo's in the area. Although, the bands were Rock & Roll, his drum solo was a tribute to the Jazz era of Gene Krupa. He also entered and won several talent contests. This led to a performance on the Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour (a big-hit television show) in Hollywood, eventually culminating in three wins.

After High School, Danny enrolled in college at Memphis State University, majoring in Painting, in hopes of fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming an artist. In the Spring of 1967, his band had reformed and recorded the hit record "The Letter", under the name The Box Tops. The song was released in June, and shot to the top of the charts, where it remained in the number one spot for four weeks in a row. They also had the #2 US hit "Cry Like A Baby". The band went on tour all summer, and in the fall Danny dropped out of college to continue touring with the band. In December, he grew tired of the tour, and decided to return to Memphis State, where he stayed for three more years, taking every art course that was offered.

By 1970, he was married, with a child on the way. It was time to find some kind of art job. He found one at a company called Cruthirds. The company specialized in refurbishing restaurants and bars with various historic themes like naval battles, WWI dogfights, wild west, sports history, etc. Along with building the bars, there was an art department that created huge wall murals and wall plaques to enhance the theme. It was here, that Danny honed his photorealistic painting style, for the next twelve years. Eventually, he became the art director. He also developed an interest in photography.

In 1982, he left Cruthirds to start a career as an freelance illustrator. He was very successful, focusing on product illustration. His interest in photography proved extremely helpful in providing the lighting reference he needed for his paintings. The musical career was taking a back seat.

Having been divorced in 1975, Danny met his current wife in 1992. His wife's work called for a move to New Jersey in 1995, where they lived for three years. It was during this time, that Danny became proficient at illustrating products on the computer, and said goodbye to painting conventionally. It was also during this period that The Box Tops reformed and decided to tour the oldies circuit. This time, it would be different, electing to play just a few dates a year, since all the members already had lucrative jobs.

Another move came in 1998, to Naperville, IL and eventually he and his wife bought a house in Plainfield, IL, where they currently reside.

Much of Danny's artwork can be found everyday, in grocery stores across the world. He has illustrated the labels for many of the top product lines, including Ocean Spray, Welch's, Wishbone, Miracle-Gro, Hostess, Campbell, Goya, Dolly Madison, Rinaldi, Shaklee, Splenda, Mazola, Tyson, Dairy Queen, and Zatarain's.


 * http://www.dannysmythe.com
 * http://boxtops.com