Robert James Smith is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is the only continuous member of the rock band The Cure, which he co-founded in 1976. He was also the lead guitarist for the band Siouxsie and the Banshees from 1982 to 1984, and was part of the short-lived group The Glove in 1983. He is known for his distinctive voice, guitar-playing style and strange look, the latter two of which were influential on the goth subculture that rose to prominence in the 1980s.