Born 85 Years Ago Today in Indiana, the “Rolls-Royce of Country Singers” Who Made History With Her Very First Single

Born in Elkhart, Indiana, on this day (August 14) in 1941, country singer Connie Smith is celebrating her 85th birthday today. In November 1964, Smith, who WSM radio host Eddie Stubbs famously dubbed the “Rolls-Royce of Country Singers,” set multiple records when she topped Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart with her debut single, “Once a Day”.

The song made her the first female country artist to reach number one with her debut single. She remained the only woman in that category until 1991, when Trisha Yearwood did the same with “She’s in Love with the Boy”.

Once the Bill Anderson-penned hit reached the pinnacle of the Hot Country Songs chart, it remained there for eight weeks—the longest reign at number one to date for a woman in country music.

No other artist would come close for another 48 years. In December 2012, Taylor Swift passed Smith up when “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” spent nine weeks at the top of the chart.

Connie Smith Never Sought a Career in Country Music

Born Constance June Meador, Connie Smith grew up primarily in West Virginia and Ohio.

Her parents were migrant farm workers, and with 14 children to care for, money was often tight. So Smith would escape into music, tuning into the Grand Ole Opry weekly for Saturday night broadcasts.

She came to admire country music trailblazers like Kitty Wells and Jean Shepard, as well as jazz singers Sarah Vaughan and Nancy Wilson.

While recuperating from a lawnmower accident that nearly cut off her leg, an 18-year-old Smith taught herself to play guitar.

The following year, she married her first husband, Jerry Smith. At his encouragement, she began performing at local events and on regional television programs.

Still, the 11-time Grammy nominee never intended to pursue music full time, preferring to remain at home with her family.

However, in August 1963, she entered a talent contest at the Frontier Ranch country music park near Columbus, Ohio that—unbeknownst to her—would change everything.

Discovery by Bill Anderson

Sitting on the judges’ panel, country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson recalled seeing Connie Smith take the stage to perform Jean Shepard’s “I Thought of You”.

“At first I thought they were playing a record and she was lip sync’ing it,” the Grand Ole Opry mainstay, now 88, later said.

After hearing Smith sing again on a shared New Year’s Day bill in Canton, Ohio, Anderson encouraged the young mother to come to Nashville.

With the older artist’s help, she performed on the Ernest Tubb Record Shop’s Midnite Jamboree in March 1964. That May, she cut four demos of Anderson’s songs, which led legendary producer Chet Atkins to sign Smith to RCA Records.

Building on the Success of “Once a Day”

Although she would never again reach number one, Connie Smith’s chart success didn’t end with “Once a Day”.

She scored 19 more top 10 hits from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, including ““Ain’t Had No Lovin’” (number two; 1966); “The Hurtin’s All Over” (number three; 1966); and “If I Talk to Him” (number four; 1965).

A Career Pivot, Retirement, and a Return

During her early rise to fame, Connie Smith felt a strong pull toward the Christian faith. In the early 1970s, her music became much more gospel-oriented. She even included a stipulation in her contract with Columbia Records that she be allowed to record one gospel album a year.

After leaving Columbia, Smith recorded for Monument Records in the early 1980s before ultimately deciding to leave music behind in favor of focusing on her family and faith.

 “I couldn’t quit my kids; I couldn’t quit my faith, so the only thing I could quit was my country music career,” she told biographer Barry Mazor.

She remained out of the spotlight for the next decade until her youngest child left the house.

Signing with Warner Bros. Records in 1996, Smith made her return with a 1998 self-titled LP. Country singer Marty Stuart, who had become Smith’s fourth husband the previous year, produced the album.

[RELATED: 29 Years Ago Today, Connie Smith Said “I Do” and Made Marty Stuart’s Childhood Dream Come True]

Connie Smith has continued releasing music ever since, with her most recent album—Love, Prison, Wisdom and Heartaches—coming out in 2024.

Featured image by David Redfern/Redferns

The post Born 85 Years Ago Today in Indiana, the “Rolls-Royce of Country Singers” Who Made History With Her Very First Single appeared first on American Songwriter.