Smith was majoring in English at the University of Manitoba when he received a call from Loverboy guitarist Paul Dean in Vancouver inviting him to replace bassist Jim Clench in the newly-formed band.
[citation needed] After Loverboy disbanded in 1988, Smith was part of the band Dangerous along with Mike Reno and Brian MacLeod.
"[4] Bob Rock used Scott Smith's Spector NS1 bass on Metallica's eighth studio album, St. Anger.
On 30 November 2000, Smith was sailing his boat, the 11-metre (36-foot) Sea Major,[5] with two friends off the coast of San Francisco near the Golden Gate Bridge when a large wave swept him overboard.
Searches conducted by the Coast Guard and a private company hired by friends and family were unsuccessful.