Connie Smith
Connie Smith |
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Connie Smith (born August 14, 1941), born Constance Meador in Elkhart, Indiana, USA, is a country singer, best known for her 1964 hit song "Once a Day". After her 1964 hit song, she continued to have great success on the Country music charts. Although she never achieved the level of commercial success as some of her contemporaries, such as Loretta Lynn, Lynn Anderson and Tammy Wynette, she is often hailed by music critics as one of the finest voices in Country Music.
Rise to Fame
She was discovered by Bill Anderson who took her to producer Bob Ferguson to sign a recording contract with RCA in 1963. In 1964, she hit first place on the country charts with her debuting single "Once a Day" (written by Bill Anderson). This made her the first debuting female country star to reach no. 1 with the first single. "Once a Day" spent 8 weeks at #1, making it one of the biggest hits by a female vocalist on the Billboard country chart and the biggest country record of 1964.
The Success After "Once a Day"
Though it was a brief stay, overnight she became a country music queen on a level with the biggest female names in the business: Kitty Wells, Loretta Lynn, Skeeter Davis, and Jean Shepard (Patsy Cline had died the previous year). Connie's major 1960's hits include "Then and Only Then" (1965), "Ain't Had No Lovin'" (1966), and "Cincinnati, Ohio" (1967). Three of her albums hit number one on Billboard's country album chart. In all, she placed 31 albums on the Billboard country chart between 1965 and 1976 and had 39 top 40 country hits between 1964 and 1978, 20 of them making the top ten. Her last record to make the national charts was "A Far Cry From You" in 1985.
Never winning any major awards, Connie Smith was nominated three times for the Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year award and earned 10 various Grammy nominations but regrettably has yet to earn either award. Smith has also occasionally dabbled in songwriting, penning over 30 songs and earning a BMI award for her hit "I'll Come Running". Another Smith-penned hit "You've Got Me Right Where You Want Me" was later recorded by Reba McEntire. Connie Smith is also known for having a "big voice" but receives little credit for the honor.
Later Career
Smith remained at the top of the country field into the 1970's, switching to the Columbia label in 1973. She moved on to Monument Records in 1977 with less chart success and decided in 1980 to go into semi-retirement to spend more time with her children, singing only gospel songs in her appearances at the Grand Ole Opry. Renowned in the country music industry for her strong religious convictions, she has recorded gospel music throughout her career; nevertheless, her personal life has seen its ups and downs, including three unsuccessful marriages.
Life Today
Since 1997 she has been married to Marty Stuart, a country star 17 years her junior. Stuart produced Smith's 1998 comeback album on the Warner Bros. Records label. The duo frequently tour together and both remain popular acts on the Opry. In fact, Opry audiences still wildly applaud Smith when she takes the stage or sings one of her signature hits.
Trivia
- Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs often introduces Smith to audiences at The Grand Ole Opry as "The Rolls Royce of Country Music".
- The CMT Channel named Connie Smith the #9 Female Artist of Country Music on its 2001 program "The 40 Greatest Women of Country Music." Mother Maybelle Carter was #8, #10 was Trisha Yearwood and #1 was Patsy Cline.
- George Jones credits Smith as his favorite female Country Music singer in his book "I Lived To Tell It All".
- She has 5 children and 5 grandchildren.
- Dolly Parton once said "There’s only three real female singers: Barbra Streisand, Linda Ronstadt and Connie Smith. The rest of us are only pretending."
- Connie and Marty actually met back in the 60's when as a kid he went to see her in concert. On the way home he reportedly told his mother "One day I'll marry her!" Many years later, he did!
Discography
Singles
| Year | Single | U.S. Country Singles | Album | |
| 1964 | "Once a Day" | #1 | Connie Smith | |
| 1965 | "Tiny Blue Transistor Radio" | 25 | Connie Smith | |
| 1965 | "Then and Only Then" | 4 | Connie Smith | |
| 1965 | "I Can't Remember" | 9 | Cute'n'Country | |
| 1965 | "If I Talk to Him" | 4 | Miss Smith Goes to Nashville | |
| 1966 | "Nobody But a Fool (Would Love You)" | 4 | Miss Smith Goes to Nashville | |
| 1966 | "Ain't Had No Lovin'" | 2 | Born to Sing | |
| 1966 | "The Hurtin's All Over" | 3 | Downtown Country | |
| 1967 | "Burning a Hole In My Mind" | 5 | I Love Charlie Brown | |
| 1967 | "Cincinnati, Ohio" | 4 | Connie Smith Sings Bill Anderson | |
| 1967 | "I'll Come Runnin'" | 10 | Greatest Hits Vol. 1 | |
| 1968 | "Baby's Back Again" | 7 | I Love Charlie Brown | |
| 1968 | "Run Away Little Tears" | 10 | I Love Charlie Brown | |
| 1968 | "Cry, Cry, Cry" | 20 | Connie in the Country | |
| 1969 | "Ribbon of Darkness" | 13 | Connie's Country | |
| 1969 | "Young Love" | 20 | Young Love | |
| 1969 | "You and Your Sweet Love" | 6 | I Never Once Stopped Loving You | |
| 1970 | "I Never Once Stopped Loving You" | 5 | I Never Once Stopped Loving You | |
| 1970 | "Lousiana Man" | 14 | I Never Once Stopped Loving You | |
| 1971 | "Just One Time" | 2 | Just One Time | |
| 1971 | "Where is My Castle" | 11 | Where Is My Castle | |
| 1972 | "If It Ain't Love (Let's Leave It Alone)" | 7 | If it Ain't Love (And Other Great Dallas Frazier Songs) | |
| 1972 | "Just For What I Am" | 5 | Ain't We Havin' Us a Good Time | |
| 1973 | "Love is the Look You're Looking For" | 8 | Love Is the Look You're Looking For | |
| 1973 | "You've Got Me (Right Where You Want Me)" | 21 | A Lady Named Smith | |
| 1974 | "Ain't Love a Good Thing" | 10 | That's the Way Love Goes | |
| 1974 | "I Never Knew (What That Song Meant Before)" | 13 | I Never Knew (What That Song Meant Before) | |
| 1975 | "The Song We Fell In Love To" | 29 | The Song We Fell In Love To | |
| 1975 | "I've Got a Lot of Hurtin' Done Today" | 30 | Connie Smith Sings Her Hits | |
| 1975 | "I've Got My Baby Off My Mind" | 13 | Connie Smith Sings Her Hits | |
| 1975 | "Why Don't You Love Me" | 15 | Connie Smith Sings Her Hits | |
| 1976 | "Til' I Kissed You" | 10 | Connie Smith Sings Her Hits | |
| 1976 | "I Don't Wanna Talk It Over Anymore" | 13 | I Don't Want to Talk It Over Anymore | |
| 1976 | "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)" | 31 | I Don't Want to Talk It Over Anymore | |
| 1977 | "Coming Around" | 58 | Pure Connie Smith | |
| 1978 | "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" | 14 | New Horizons | |
| 1978 | "Lovin' You Baby" | 34 | New Horizons | |
| 1978 | "Smooth Sailin' | 68 | New Horizons | |
| 1978 | "There'll Never Be Another For Me" | 68 | New Horizons | |
| 1979 | "Don't Say Love" | 93 | Greatest Hits on Monument | |
| 1979 | "Lovin' You Lovin' Me" | 88 | Greatest Hits on Monument | |
| 1979 | "Ten Thousand And One" | 88 | Greatest Hits on Monument |
Selected Albums
| Year | Album | U.S. Country Albums | |
| 1965 | Connie Smith | #1 | |
| 1965 | Cute'n'Country | #1 | |
| 1966 | Born to Sing | #1 | |
| 1966 | Connie Smith Sings Great Sacred Songs | 19 | |
| 1966] | Miss Smith Goes to Nashville | 2 | |
| 1967 | Connie Smith Sings Bill Anderson | 11 | |
| 1967 | Downtown Country | 5 | |
| 1967 | The Best of Connie Smith | 22 | |
| 1968 | I Love Charlie Brown | 14 | |
| 1968 | Soul of Country Music | 7 | |
| 1969 | Back in Baby's Arms | 12 | |
| 1969 | Connie's Country | 14 | |
| 1969 | Young Love | 29 | |
| 1970 | I Never Once Stopped Loving You | 15 | |
| 1970 | The Best of Connie Smith Vol. 2 | ||
| 1971 | Just One Time | 20 | |
| 1971 | Where is My Castle | 39 | |
| 1972 | If It Ain't Love (And Other Great Dallas Frazier Songs) | 14 | |
| 1972 | Ain't We Havin' Us a Good Time | 25 | |
| 1973 | Love Is What You're Looking For | 24 | |
| 1973 | A Lady Named Smith | 31 | |
| 1974 | God is Abundant | 20 | |
| 1974 | I Never Knew (What That Song Meant Before) | 22 | |
| 1974 | That's the Way Love Goes | 41 | |
| 1975 | Connie Smith Sings Hank Williams Gospel | 47 | |
| 1976 | I Don't Want to Talk it Over Anymore | 33 | |
| 1976 | The Song We Fell In Love To | 34 | |
| 1978 | New Horizons | - | |
| 1992 | The Wayward Wind | ||
| 1998 | Connie Smith | - | |
| 2003 | Love Never Fails | - |
External links
- Connie Smith on All Music Guide
- Annotated discography
- Discography to the left: scroll down to 'S' and 'SMITH Connie' (this discography is quite complete w/ original picture sleeves, chart positions and lyrics)
- Connie at CMT.com