b. 15 March 1927, Maynardville, Tennessee, USA. The legendary Roy Acuff also came from Maynardville and was Smith's hero. Smith sold seeds to pay for his first guitar and then cut grass to pay for lessons. He became a regular on a Knoxville country radio station, served in the navy in World War II, and was discovered by the 40s country singer Molly O'Day, which led to a recording contract with Columbia Records. In 1951 he made his US country chart debut with "Let's Live A Little", had a double-sided success with "If Teardrops Were Pennies'/'Mr. Moon" and followed it with a number 1, "Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way". His impressive tally of 41 chart records during the 50s included four more chart-toppers, "Don't Just Stand There", "Are You Teasing Me?" (both 1952), "Hey, Joe" (1953) and "Loose Talk" (1955) as well as having success with "This Orchid Means Goodbye", "Cut Across Shorty" and "Ten Thousand Drums".
Smith was a ballad singer with a rich, mature voice and, as he preferred steel guitars and fiddles to modern instrumentation, he did not cross over to the pop market. Known as the Tall Gentleman, he was a natural for television and for several years he hosted a highly successful country series in Canada, Carl Smith's Country Music Hall. He also appeared in the westerns The Badge Of Marshal Brennan (1957) and Buffalo Gun (1961), the latter with Webb Pierce and Marty Robbins. Smith had a tempestuous marriage to June Carter from the Carter Family; their daughter, Carlene Carter, is also a recording artist. After their divorce, in 1957 Smith married Goldie Hill, who had had her own number 1 country single with "I Let The Stars Get In My Eyes" (1953). Although Smith rarely made the US country Top 10 after the 50s, he had hits until well into the 70s and his total of 93 has rarely been surpassed. In the 80s, Carl re-recorded his hits for new albums, but it was only a half-hearted comeback. His main interest is in his prize-winning quarter-horses, which he raises on a 500-acre ranch outside Nashville. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame in 2003.
