Gene Watson's Peers: Connie Smith
Gene Watson's peers within the country music
industry believe in the sheer talent of this unassuming man from east Texas,
so much so that Gene is regarded by many of them as 'the singer's singer' -
and rightly so!
All of Gene's Peers who were contacted in 2006 were most
gracious with their time & words. It is here, within this special part of
gene-watson.com, that you have an opportunity to read a quote from
Connie Smith, which she submitted to
this site on Monday 30 January 2006.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you'
to
Connie Smith who has made a special
contribution to a unique part of this online 'celebration of a Lone Star
Hero'.
Connie Smith
This quote was submitted on Monday 30 January 2006
'Gene Watson is one of the greatest singers of all
time'.
Thank you, Connie Smith, for
your support of Gene Watson.
About Connie Smith...
Connie Smith was born
Constance June Meador in Elkhart, Indiana but was raised in West Virginia &
Ohio. She remembered from an early age of wanting to become a member
of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
In the early 1960s, Connie married & became a housewife in Marietta, Ohio
but continued to sing. While performing near Columbus, Ohio in 1963,
Bill Anderson first heard her & offered his help in gaining Smith a
recording contract. Shortly after discovering her, Anderson had her
perform on Ernest Tubb's Record Shop Live Show in 1964. Two months
later, she made demo recordings written by Anderson, which included his song
'Once a day'. After hearing the demos, producer Chet Atkins signed
Connie Smith to RCA Victor in Nashville; because Atkins was working with too
many artists during Smith's first years at RCA, Bob Ferguson served as her
producer.
Under the guidance of RCA producer Bob Ferguson, Connie enjoyed a string of
hit songs; her first hit 'Once a day' was at No. 1 for 8 weeks in
September/October 1964 & remained on the charts for twenty-eight weeks,
making Smith an overnight country music star.
Her debut album, 'Connie Smith', remained on the charts for thirty weeks,
seven of those weeks were spent at the No.1 position. By the end of
1964, 'Once a day' became one of the biggest country songs of the year.
The success of 'Once a day' led to a string of Top 10 hits over the next
five years on the Billboard country chart; Connie's follow-up single to
'Once a day', was titled 'Then & only then' reached No.4 & its flip-side
'Tiny blue transistor radio' reached No. 25 in 1965.
Connie Smith enjoyed a string of Top 10 hits for four years, starting with
'I can't remember' & 'If I talk to him' in 1965, followed by 'Nobody but a
fool would love you', 'Ain't had no lovin' & 'The hurtin's all over' in
1966. In 1967, she had hits with 'Baby's back again' & 'Cincinnati,
Ohio'.
It was also at this time that Connie Smith released a number of albums which
spawned her major hit singles during this period, beginning with 'Cute 'n'
Country' (RCA Victor, 1965), 'Miss Smith Goes to Nashville' (RCA Victor,
1966), 'Born to Sing' (RCA Victor, 1966) & 'Downtown Country' (RCA Victor,
1967).
Connie became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1971 & was a fixture on the
country charts through the 1970s; Connie Smith's hits during this period
included 'I never once stopped loving you' (1970), 'Just one time' (1971),
'Just for what I am' (1972), 'If it ain't love (let's leave it alone)'
(1972) & 'Love is the look you're looking for' (1972).
Having nearly served ten years at RCA Records, Connie Smith signed with
Columbia Records in 1973. She began to add more gospel music into her
act & Columbia permitted her to record more gospel material.
Connie hit songs during the mid-to-late 1970s included George Richey's
'You've got me (right where you want me)' & Dallas Frazier's 'Ain't love a
good thing', which were both hits in 1973. She had further hits with
'(Til) I kissed you' & 'So sad (to watch good love go bad)' in 1976, both of
which were written by Don Everly.
In 1977, Connie Smith signed with Monument Records where her material grew
increasingly more pop-sounding, recording everything from Adult Contemporary
ballads to upbeat disco numbers. Connie had a major hit in 1977 with a
cover of Andy Gibb's 'I just want to be your everything', which reached
No.14 on the Billboard country singles chart.
The follow-up, 'Lovin'
you baby', which was recorded in the style of a disco song, peaked within
the country Top 40. However, her next several singles, 'They'll never
be another for me', 'Smooth sailin' & 'Ten thousand & one' all peaked
outside of the Top 40, progressively going into lower positions on the
country chart between 1978 & 1979.
In 1979, Connie Smith left Monument & neglected actively performing &
touring between for six years, only appearing on the Grand Ole Opry.
Over the next six years, she focused on spending time with her family &
raising her children.
In 1985, Connie made a brief comeback under Epic
Records, recording two singles; the first single, 'A far cry from you'
charted at No.71, was written by a then promising songwriter called Steve
Earle, while the second single, 'Hold me back', failed to chart in 1986.
In 1990, Connie made a trip to the United Kingdom to tour there for her
British fans & in 1993 released a live album recorded in Branson, Missouri.
In 1995, Connie Smith saw the release of 'Clinging To a Saving Hand', a set
of gospel songs, which was released on Connie Smith Fan Club Records.
In 1996, RCA Records released 'The Essential Connie Smith', a two-disc
collection of Smith's singles between 1964 & 1972.
In 1998, Connie Smith returned to recording after a twenty-year gap with the
release of her self-titled album ('Connie Smith') under Warner Bros.
Records, which was produced by her husband Marty Stuart (Connie Smith &
Marty Stuart were married on 8 July 1997). The album was given a
positive review but although it was her first album in many years, it
attracted little attention. In 2003, Connie released 'Love Never
Fails', a gospel album with country singers,
Barbara Fairchild & Sharon White, which again attracted little
attention.
Connie Smith provided harmony vocals on 'A good place to turn around', a
track included on Gene Watson's 'In a Perfect
World' (Shanachie Records, 2007).
This photo (above) of Connie Smith & Gene Watson was taken backstage at the
Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on Friday 25 July 2008.
Visit Connie Smith's Official Site
Visit Marty Stuart's Official Site