| Name |
Carl Smith |
| Height |
|
| Naionality |
American |
| Date of Birth |
15-March-1927 |
| Place of Birth |
Maynardville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Famous for |
Singing |
Carl Smith 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.
In 1951, his song "Let's Live a Little" was a big hit, reaching No. 2 on country chart. During 1951 he had up three other hits, including "If the Teardrops Were Pennies" and his first No. 1 hit, "Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way". The songs made Smith a well-known name in country music. His band, the Tunesmiths, featured steel guitarist Johnny Silbert, who added an element of Western swing. In 1952, Smith married June Carter (who later became the wife of Johnny Cash), the daughter of Maybelle Carter of the Carter Family. In 1955 the couple had a daughter, Rebecca Carlene Smith, who later became known as Carlene Carter, a country singer in her own right. During the rest of the 1950s, Smith made regular appearances on Billboard's country charts, racking up many hits, including 30 in the Top 10. His biggest hits include "Loose Talk", "Wicked Lies", "Hey Joe!" and "You Are the One". He had five No. 1 hits in his career; "Loose Talk" was his last, in 1955. Some of his songs had sharp edges, fast phrasing and a strong drumbeat, similar to rockabilly material making the charts in the mid-50s, which in some ways made Smith's music closer to rock and roll than country. Some of his songs did, however, make the pop charts. His biggest pop entry was the song "Ten Thousand Drums" in 1959, which reached No. 43 on the pop chart.
In 1956, Smith quit the Grand Ole Opry. Soon after, he joined The Phillip Morris Country Music Show and spent more than a year touring the United States, often in direct competition with touring Opry shows. He also made regular appearances on ABC-TV's Jubilee USA and was a fill-in host for Red Foley. In 1957, Smith and June Carter divorced. That same year, he appeared in the movie, The Badge of Marshal Brennan and Buffalo Guns, and married country music singer Goldie Hill, best known for the No. 1 hit "I Let the Stars Get In My Eyes". Goldie retired from the music business. By the late 50s, Smith's success began to dwindle on the country charts, and soon his string of Top 10s turned into Top 20 hits.
