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Margo Smith
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Margo Smith (b. Betty Lou Miller April 9, 1942 in Dayton, Ohio) is an American Country Music Singer. In the 1970s, she was a popular female Country vocalist, acquiring two No. 1 hits on the Country charts during that time, "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" and "It Only Hurts for a Little While", both Country music remakes of previous Pop music standards. She is also considered a "world class yodeler".
However, in the late '70s, after releasing 1979's A Woman album, Smith's image underwent a metamorphosis, wearing much riskier clothing, and recording much riskier material, like 1979's Top 10 Country hit, "Still a Woman".
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Encyclopedia
Margo Smith (b. Betty Lou Miller April 9, 1942 in Dayton, Ohio) is an American Country Music Singer. In the 1970s, she was a popular female Country vocalist, acquiring two No. 1 hits on the Country charts during that time, "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" and "It Only Hurts for a Little While", both Country music remakes of previous Pop music standards. She is also considered a "world class yodeler".
However, in the late '70s, after releasing 1979's A Woman album, Smith's image underwent a metamorphosis, wearing much riskier clothing, and recording much riskier material, like 1979's Top 10 Country hit, "Still a Woman". She began posing seductively on her album covers and openly spoke of sex on interviews. However, only a couple years later, Smith would later revert back to her previous "girl-next-door" image.
Early life & rise to fame
Ohio-native Margo Smith was already a popular Country singer when she emerged with a new sexy image in the late 70s. This new kind of image made Margo Smith more of a star than she already was.
Margo Smith was born Betty Lou Miller in 1942 in Dayton, Ohio. Smith had been singing since childhood, but decided to pursue a career in Kindergarten teaching instead, graduating from Wittenberg University. Since childhood, Margo Smith learned how to yodel. She soon found work as a Kindergarten teacher, but always aspired to make it big in Nashville. During this period, Smith would write songs that she would use frequently in her lesson plans during the day at school. She soon began singing at PTA meetings, and began singing her songs on the radio. She developed a following wherever she went. She soon cut a demo for various record companies. One record company noticed Smith's voice (20th Century Records) and liked what they heard. They soon signed Smith to their label in 1975. She soon began recording for the label in Nashville, Tennessee.
The height of her career in the '70s & '80s
Early music success: Good girl image
One of her first recordings under 20th Century Records was the song "There I Said It". The song was released as a single in 1975, and debuted on her first album, simply entitled Margo Smith. "There I Said It" became a Top Ten Country hit for Smith that year, and tuned Smith into a Country success overnight. Her follow-up single to her big hit was the song "Paper Lovin'". Although not as successful as "There I Said It", it still made the Country Top 30, giving her a minor hit that year. In 1976, Smith had to switch record companies, as 20th Century Records shut down its division in Nashville, Tennessee. She soon moved over to Warner Bros. Records that same year.
She soon began cutting recordings for Warner Bros. and worked with producer Norro Wilson. She had more success under her new record company with hits like "Save Your Kisses for Me" and "Take My Breath Away", which were both Top 10 hits in 1976, proving that Smith could continue to have hits, even if she switched record companies. In 1977 she had a Top 15 hit with "Love's Explosion". By now Margo Smith was a Country music success story, making a name for herself in Country Music. She kept her image as the girl next door and a good Christian girl. In 1978, she had her biggest success when two of her singles went to #1, first starting with "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" (a Pop hit for Connie Francis in the early 60s) and then followed by "It Only Hurts For a Little While" (covered by the Ames Brothers in 1956). These two songs were her only chart toppers. She had another hit in 1978, that reached the Top 5 called "Little Things Mean a Lot", which previously covered and made a Pop hit by Kitty Kallen in the 1950s.
Later music success: Risque image
The year 1979 was a great change for Smith. This was the year Smith turned her image completely around and emerged into the Country spotlight with a new sexy image. However, she wasn't the only female Country singer doing this. The legendary Country singer Dottie West, who had been around since the 1960s, also changed her image to a more sexy image. West soon had hits as this "new woman", around the same time Margo Smith was popular. In 1979, Smith released a new album called A Woman. The album was a much more riskier album, showing off her new sexy image. The album also showed some cleavage, with Smith wearing a very low-cut blouse. She soon released singles from the album, starting with "Still a Woman" in 1979. The song showed her new sexy image. Although the song seemed very risky to record, it ended up being a hit that year, making the Country Top 10.
That year, she had another Top 10 hit from the same album called "If I Give My Heart to You", which was again another risky song. Her songs and albums mainly focused on the popular Country Pop or Countrypolitan style. This kind of Country Music sounded more Pop than Country, and most of the artists coming out of Nashville at the time recorded this kind of Country. Smith spoke openly of sex on interviews, and her stage show got more a more flashy as time progressed. She soon began wearing Spandex and satin outfits. Because of this, Smith's fanclub grew larger. She also left her husband of many years in 1982, and re-married producer Richard Cammeron of Camerron Records, a record company which Smith later recorded for. Into 1980 her sexy image was in its peak, with hits like "Baby My Baby", "The Shuffle Song" and "My Guy" (a hit for Mary Wells in the 60s). She toured heavily with her band "Night Flight", opening for Country artists, like Charley Pride, Kenny Rogers, and Tammy Wynette. However, this glamor queen image wouldn't last much longer.
Later career & life today
By the early 1980s, Smith dropped her sexy image, and turned back to her good Christian-girl next door image. She went so far as to calling her sexy image a "mistake". Her chart success fell drastically after she dropped her sexy image. She had her last major hits in 1981, duetting with Rex Allen Jr., having a Top 20 hit with him that year called "Cup of Tea", along with a Top 30 hit called "While the Feeling's Good". Their duet "Cup of Tea" nominated the duo for Top Duet of the Year by the Academy of Country Music in 1981. In 1982, she moved to AMI Records, but with minor charting singles. She continued to label jumping through much of the early 80s, having a charting single in 1984 with "Please Tell Him I Said Hello". In 1985, she released an album entitled The Best of the Tennessee Yodeler, which paid a tribute to one of Smith's favorite singers, Bonnie Lou. The album was sold on television. Her last hit on the national charts came in 1988 was with the minor hit "Echo Me" on Playback Records.
She switched over to her Cammeron Records and had no major success. By this time, her chart success was virtually gone. She also briefly acted on the TNN show I-40 Paradise. She and her daughter, Holly became a Christian Music group, named "Margo Smith and Holly", and they recorded for Homeland Records. She and her daughter were popular Christan singers throughout much of the 1980s. They even had some Christian hits. Her daughter, now married, Holly Watson, aged 39, is a spokesworman for several car dealerships across the US. She provides voiceover work as well as commercials which air on local TV stations. She recorded on and off for labels in the 1990s. Most recently, Smith contributed her vocals to the CD, The Littlest Star: A Musical Story, which is also a picture book. In 2005, she released a new album, her first in many years called Nothing to Lose, released by Lamon Records.
Today, Smith sometimes makes appearances at the Grand Ole Opry, and also does appearances at Dollywood (founded by Dolly Parton). She also continues to tour. Margo Smith is also a professional yodeler. One of her students, Taylor Ware, was the runner-up on the NBC show America's Got Talent in August 2006. Today, she is still married to Richard Cammeron, and they live in Brentwood, Tennessee.
Discography
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award Program | Award | Result | | 1981 | Academy of Country Music | Top Duet of the Year (with Rex Allen Jr.) for "Cup of Tea" | Nominated | | 1981 | Music City News Country | Top Duet of the Year (with Rex Allen Jr.) for "Cup of Tea" | Nominated | | 1994 | CCMA | Vocal Duo/Group of the Year (with her daughter Holly) | Won |
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