By age 16, BC Smith was already juggling high school and formal music studies with performing in rock and punk bands on the local and national club circuit. Upon graduating, Smith moved to Seattle as both a protgé of Stan Kenton arranger Dave Barduhn and as a member of Don Gilmore's rock band. He was equally at home in the Seattle alt music scene and Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Switching his focus away from performance, Smith began studying with classical composer Roupen Shakerian and noted musicologist and avant-garde guru Jerome Gray, all while assisting Ric Parashar in the production of groundbreaking recordings by Pearl Jam, Temple of the Dog, and Blind Melon.

A commercial with editor Brian Berdan (Natural Born Killers) resulted in Smith scoring Smoke Signals, which won the Audience Award and Filmmakers Trophy at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. Critics hailed Smith's work as "one of the most dazzling aspects of the movie" (USA Today) and "crucial" to the film "expressing it's shifting moods" (Los Angeles Times). Recently Smith has found himself writing string arrangements for bands like 3 Doors Down, scoring Chris Eyre's film Skins, and producing former Sunny Day Real Estate singer Jeremy Enigk's songs and score for United States of Leland, starring Kevin Spacey, Ryan Gosling, and Don Cheadle. Smith's other film credits include Mod Squad, Mercy, and Finder's Fee.