Carl Smith (country musician)
| Carl Smith | |
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c. 1960
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Carl Milton Smith |
| Also known as | Mister Country |
| Born | March 15, 1927 |
| Origin | Maynardville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | January 16, 2010 (aged 82) Franklin, Tennessee |
| Genres | country, rockabilly |
| Occupation(s) | singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | guitar, string bass |
| Years active | 1942–1983 |
| Labels |
Columbia Records Hickory Records |
| Associated acts | Hank Snow, Marty Robbins, June Carter, Carlene Carter |
Carl Milton Smith (March 15, 1927 – January 16, 2010) was an American country music singer. Known as "Mister Country," Smith was the husband of June Carter (later June Carter Cash) and Goldie Hill, and the father of Carlene Carter. He was one of country's most successful male artists during the 1950s, with 30 Top 10 Billboard hits, including 21 in a row. Smith's success continued well into the 1970s, when he had a charting single every year except one. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
A native of Maynardville, Tennessee, Carl Smith aspired to a musical career after hearing the Grand Ole Opry on the radio. He sold seed to pay for guitar lessons as a teenager. At age 15, he started performing in a band called Kitty Dibble and Her Dude Ranch Ranglers. By age 17, he had learned to play the string bass and spent his summer vacation working at WROL-AM in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he performed on Cas Walker's radio show.
After graduating from high school, he served in the U.S. Navy from 1944–47. He returned to WROL and played string bass for country singers Molly O'Day and Skeets Williamson, and began his singing career. A colleague at the station sent an acetate disc recording of Smith to WSM-AM and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, and WSM soon signed him. In 1950, Smith was signed to a recording contract with Columbia Records by producer Don Law.
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