Chas Smash
Cathal Joseph "Carl" Smyth (born 14 January 1959), also known as Chas Smash, is an English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His career spans more than 40 years. Smash came to prominence in the late 1970s as secondary vocalist, trumpet player and dancer for the English band Madness, with whom he was associated from their inception until 2014. In addition to trumpet, Smyth plays the bass guitar (having initially joined Madness as a bassist), acoustic guitar and other percussion instruments. He performs lead vocals on a few Madness tracks, such as "Michael Caine", "Wings of a Dove", "One Step Beyond" and "Madness (Is All in the Mind)". Initially an occasional songwriter, he became a more frequent contributor and was credited as co-writer on the band's international hit "Our House". Early years Cathal Joseph Smyth was born on 14 January 1959, in Middlesex Hospital, Fitzrovia, London, England, and grew up in Marylebone. As a child he went by the name of Carl. His parents were Irish immigrants. His father worked in the oil business and moved the family from Ireland to England, then to the Middle East because of his work. Smyth has said he was bullied at school in both Northern Ireland