Richard Jon Smith
Richard Jon Smith (born 6 September 1951) is a South African pop singer who transcended the racial segregation of apartheid and became known nationally and internationally with the success of his 1973 hit "That's Why I Love You". He released his first single, "Candlelight", in 1972, followed by winning double gold record awards for "That's Why I Love You", "Michael Row the Boat Ashore", "Happy and Gay", "Sweet Mama", "Dayo-Island" and others.
Before becoming a superstar in South Africa at the age of 23, Smith was a porter at Cape Town's Grote Shuur Hospital. He was known as "Mr. Knockout" by his fans, in reference to his chart-busters songs. Smith was a local megastar in 1972 when he was described in the Sunday Times as an "ad man's dream", at the time he was the centrepiece of a brandy promotion.
Smith, along with his wife Glenda, moved to the United Kingdom in 1981, where he began working as a songwriter-producer-recording artist in England with Jive Records, having produced the album Whodini, among others. He returned to South Africa only in 2012, to perform as a guest artist at the three-day Zane Adam Tribute Concert, at GrandWest Arena, where he was received with great enthusiasm by the public.
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