Is That Really Him? the Shocking Real Voice Behind Steve Smith's Viral Songs
Audiences know Scott Grimes from his extensive live-action work: playing Dr. Archie Morris on ER, Sergeant Donald Malarkey in HBO's Band of Brothers, and Lieutenant Gordon Malloy on The Orville. Yet Grimes was a professional vocalist before most of those acting gigs materialized.
[Early Childhood: 1980s]
Singing on Bob Hope TV specials
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[Pop Debut: 1989]
Self-titled album (A&M Records)
Top 20 hit: "I Don't Even Mind"
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[Billboard Peak: 2005]
"Sunset Blvd" spends months on
Adult Contemporary charts (#8)
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[Voice Acting Era: 2005, Present]
Steve Smith vocal tracks redefine
adult animation musical parody
In 1989, Grimes released his self-titled debut pop album on A&M Records, scoring a charting single with "I Don't Even Mind." By 2005, around the exact time American Dad! premiered, he released his sophomore album, Livin' on the Run. The single "Sunset Blvd" reached number eight on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, spending months on national radio playlists.
Grimes possesses an extraordinary native instrument. His full chest-voice belt stretches cleanly into the high tenor register, while his mixed voice and whistle-adjacent falsetto allow him to replicate modern R&B ornamentation effortlessly. When he records as Steve Smith, he does not alter the underlying pitch with machinery. Instead, he compresses his throat slightly to retain Steve’s nasal, adolescent speaking inflection, then lets loose with unrestricted breath support and pinpoint pitch control.
