Kate Smith
| Kate Smith | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kathryn Elizabeth Smith |
| Born |
May 1, 1907 Greenville, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | June 17, 1986 (aged 79) Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1926–1976 |
| Labels |
RCA Victor Savoy Records |
Kathryn Elizabeth Smith (May 1, 1907 – June 17, 1986), known professionally as Kate Smith and The First Lady of Radio, was an American singer, a contralto, best known for her rendition of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America".
She had a radio, television, and recording career spanning five decades, which reached its pinnacle in the 1940s. Smith became known as The Songbird of the South after her enduring popularity during World War II and contribution to American culture and patriotism.
Kathryn Elizabeth Smith was born May 1, 1907 in Greenville, Virginia to Charlotte 'Lottie' Yarnell (née Hanby) and William Herman Smith, growing up in Washington, D.C. Her father owned the Capitol News Company, distributing newspapers and magazines in the greater D.C. area. She was the youngest of three daughters, the middle child dying in infancy. As a baby, she failed to talk until she was four years old, but a year later she was singing in church socials. By the time she was eight, she was singing for the troops at Army camps in the Washington area during World War I. Smith never had a singing lesson in her life and possessed a 'rich range' of two and a half octaves. Her earliest performances were during amateur nights at vaudeville theaters in D.C.
Her earliest musical influences were her parents: her father sang choir at the Roman Catholic church; her mother played piano at the Presbyterian church. She attended Business High School in D.C.—which would later become Roosevelt Senior High School—likely graduating in 1924. Alarmed by his daughter's evident penchant for the stage, her father sent her to the George Washington University School for Nursing—where she attended classes for nine months between 1924-25—withdrawing to pursue a career in show business.
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