Connie Smith
| Connie Smith | |
|---|---|
Smith at the Grand Ole Opry in 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Constance June Meador |
| Born |
August 14, 1941 Elkhart, Indiana, U.S. |
| Genres | Country, gospel |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1963–present |
| Labels | RCA, Columbia, Monument, Epic, Warner Bros., Daywind, Sugar Hill |
| Associated acts | Bill Anderson, Dallas Frazier, Nat Stuckey, Marty Stuart |
| Website | www |
Connie Smith (born Constance June Meador; August 14, 1941) is an American country music artist. Active since 1964, Smith is widely considered to be one of the genre's best female vocalists. She has earned 11 Grammy award nominations, 20 top ten Billboard country singles, and 31 charting albums, three of which have hit number one. On October 21, 2012, Smith became the 12th solo female vocalist and 19th woman to be elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Smith, has an estimated net worth of $18 million.
Despite her success, Smith is considered by some music critics to be one of the most underrated vocalists in country music history due to the decision not to pursue super stardom with the non-country general media market like such contemporaries as Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Tammy Wynette. Artists such as Parton,George Jones, and Chely Wright have cited Smith as either one of the best vocalists in the music industry or their favorite female artist. Eddie Stubbs of Nashville radio station WSM and the Grand Ole Opry has dubbed Smith "The Rolls-Royce of Country Singers." With this being said, Smith has stated on numerous occasions that country legend Loretta Lynn is her favourite country singer ever.
Connie Smith was born Constance June Meador on August 14, 1941 to Wilma and Hobart Meador in Elkhart, Indiana. Her parents were originally from West Virginia, and when Smith was five months old, the family returned there. They would later move to Dungannon, Ohio. Her father was abusive when she was a child, which would eventually cause her to suffer a mental breakdown when she was a teenager. When she was seven, her mother divorced her father and married Tom Clark. Clark brought 8 children to the new marriage; Meador brought five, including Smith. The couple would eventually have two more children together, which in total added up to fifteen children. As a child, Smith was surrounded by music. Her stepfather played mandolin, while her brother played fiddle, and her other brother played guitar. On Saturday nights Smith would listen to the Grand Ole Opry radio broadcast. While she was a teenager, she was injured in a lawnmower accident, which nearly cut her leg off. While in the hospital recovering, she was given a guitar and learned how to play different chords. Following the recovery, she began to perform in various local talent contests. In 1959, Smith graduated from Salem-Liberty High School as the class salutatorian.
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