Itaal Shur was born in Los Angeles, California on 22 October 1966 and grew up in Seattle and Cincinnati, where he studied jazz and composition at the College Conservatory of Music before moving to New York City in 1992. After performing in a Moroccan band and the avant‑garde venue Knitting Factory, he co‑founded the acid jazz group Groove Collective, contributing to their first two albums, and began writing songs for other artists; his first major hit was "Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder)" for Maxwell’s 1996 debut Urban Hang Suite. In 1998 he released the single "My Funny Valentine" under the alias Big Muff, followed by Music From the Aural Exciter (1998) and Aurally Exciting Remixes (2000); in 2001 he issued Milk & Honey – 10 Hits to Bliss under his own name. Shur’s most prominent achievement came in 1999 when he co‑wrote "Smooth" with Rob Thomas for Santana’s Grammy‑winning album Supernatural, a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 that earned him the 1999 Grammy Award for Song of the Year. Throughout the early 2000s he produced for artists such as the Kronos Quartet, Hinda Hicks, and Lucy Woodward, and later founded his own artist development and production company. His career has been marked by cross‑genre collaborations, chart success, and recognition from the Recording Academy.
