Margo Smith

Margo Smith (born Betty Lou Miller; April 9, 1939 – January 23, 2024) was an American country and Christian music singer–songwriter. She had several years of country success during the 1970s, which included two number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. In the 1990s, she transitioned towards the Christian market and released two successful albums. She is also known for her yodeling vocal skills and is often referred to as "The Tennessee Yodeler".

Smith was born and raised in Ohio. During her childhood she learned how to sing and yodel. After graduating high school, Smith chose to pursue a career in education. For nearly a decade Smith taught elementary school and started a family with her first husband. In her thirties, she decided to begin a singing career full-time and also started songwriting. In 1971, she released her first album titled I'm a Lady and developed a following. By 1975, Smith had signed with 20th Century Fox Records and had her first major hit on the country charts with the song "There I Said It." She had further hits in the 1970s with songs like "Take My Breath Away" and "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You".

In 1979, Smith released the single "Still a Woman" and made significant changes to her musical persona. The transition helped to briefly elevate Smith's commercial country music career and she had further hits. By the early 1980s, Smith regretted making stylistic changes to her career and left her recording contract. She released music independently during the 1980s while also issuing albums through major labels. In the 1990s, Smith transitioned towards Christian music and recording two albums with her daughter, Holly. The pair won awards for their collaborative music and performed for several years. In later years, Smith continued performing as a solo act at her residence in Florida.

Early life Smith was born Betty Lou Miller in Dayton, Ohio, on April 9, 1939. For most of her career, Smith told the press that she was born in 1942, however it was later confirmed she was born in 1939. According to relatives, Smith lied about her age to make herself appear younger. In high school, she sang as part of a trio called the Apple Sisters. However, Smith chose to pursue teaching professionally. She graduated from Wittenberg University with a major in elementary education. After graduating, she taught kindergarten for five years and then briefly taught third grade for two years. She then returned to kindergarten by the early 1970s. Although teaching full-time, Smith found ways to incorporate music into her classroom. She often wrote songs that would be embedded into her lessons. Learning to perform the ukulele, Smith often used it to calm energetic children in her class. Smith also released four singles on the Chart and Sugar Hill labels during this period. At the same time, Smith maintained her full-time teaching career, working at Westlake Elementary School in New Carlisle, Ohio. She also took several graduate courses and painted landscapes during her free time. In September 1975, her eponymous debut album was issued on 20th Century Fox and included ten self-penned tracks. The project was also her first to chart on the Billboard country albums list. Later that year, Smith's next single, "Paper Lovin'", reached the top 40 of the country songs survey. Following its release, 20th Century Fox announced the closing of its Nashville division. Smith was soon left without a record label by the end of 1975. Song Bird peaked in the top 40 of the Billboard country albums survey. Jim Worbois of AllMusic rated the project at three stars, calling it "a collection of songs that constantly crosses the line between country and pop." Three more singles were spawned from the album, including the top 20 hit, "Love's Explosion," and a duet with producer Norro Wilson. The album was her highest-charting record in the United States, reaching number 27 on the Billboard country albums survey in 1978. Others took notice of Smith's singing style with the album's release. Writers Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann remarked of her musical image during this period as being "housewifey," while also highlighting the "Jean Arthur purr in her voice."

In 1979, Smith felt her music lacked an identity of its own. Together, with songwriter Mack David and producer Norro Wilson, she wrote a song that would alter her artistic image. Titled "Still a Woman," the song focused on the marital needs facing middle-aged women, according to an excerpt from Billboard magazine. Smith also spoke of the song in the same interview: "I wanted to write a song that said 'hey, even though I may have a few children and a few gray hairs, I'm just as good as I ever was'." Released as a single, it reached number seven on the Billboard country list and the top 20 of the RPM chart in 1979. Kurt Wolff commented that A Woman made Smith into "a middle-aged sexpot." The album would also produce a second single in 1979. Smith's cover of "If I Give My Heart to You" would reach the top ten of the Billboard country chart in 1979. It also produced the top 20 country hit, "The Shuffle Song," which Smith co-wrote. and Billboard praised its country pop musical styles. The album's two singles, which included a cover of Mary Wells' "My Guy" peaked outside the top 40 of the North American country charts. Through the label, Smith issued her next studio release in 1981 titled Ridin' High. The project featured ten tracks, six of which were self-penned and included co-writing credits from her husband. Four singles were released from the album that peaked outside the top 40 of the Billboard country chart, including a cover of Hank Williams' "Wedding Bells". Among the artists chosen was Smith, who released her second eponymous studio album with Dot (along with MCA Records) in 1986. It featured re-recordings of her major hits from the 1970s.

In 1987, Smith released her next studio record titled The Best Yet. Issued on Playback Records, the album contained cover versions of traditional pop standards, such as "You Belong to Me" and "Harbor Lights." The album received a mix review from Billboard magazine. Writers found Smith's vocals to be "a little strident at times". Yet, they also noted that she "knows how to reach the heart of some of the great pop tunes that commanded the charts before rock 'n' roll rolled in." Spawned from the album was the song "Echo Me," which is her final charting single to date, peaking at number 77 on the Billboard country survey in 1988.

In the early 1990s, Smith collaborated with her daughter Holly on Christian music. Together, the duo signed with Homeland Records and had success on contemporary Christian radio with several duet singles. It was followed in 1992 by their second collaborative release titled Wishes. In 1994, the duo was nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year at the second annual Christian Country Music Awards. The duo remained a popular touring act on the Christian music circuit as late as 1995 where they performed at a charity to raise money for disaster relief.

In later years, Smith continued performing while also venturing into other projects. She started selling a tape on her official website that taught singers how to yodel. She also mentored performers who wanted to learn the skill, including Taylor Ware, who appeared on a season of America's Got Talent. Smith also continued releasing music of her own. In 2005 she issued her most recent studio effort to date, titled Nothing to Lose. The album was released on Lamon Records. She also continued to perform in The Villages, Florida, where Smith lived year-round. In 2015, she helped raise $11,000 for The Ukulele Kids Club, a Florida organization that provides musical instruments to children in hospitals.

Musical styles and image Smith's musical style embeds the genres of Country, Christian and Country pop. In a 2006 interview, Smith explained that her yodeling style is created from a vocal break in her voice known as a "glottal catch". "Not just anybody can yodel. You have to have the ability to have that flip in your voice," she commented.

In August 2014, Smith was involved in a near fatal head-on car collision near her home in The Villages, Florida. She suffered a shattered wrist, broken ankle, and multiple bruises. She spent three months at a local rehabilitation center and made a full recovery and was expected to return to performing in December 2014. Law enforcement officials later stated that Smith would not have survived the accident if she had not been wearing a seat belt or left her car's convertible top down. Smith later made a full-recovery and began performing in the fall of 2016. "I feel as well as I can be and I feel great singing in front of all these people," she commented.

Smith died on January 23, 2024, in Franklin, Tennessee, at the age of 84, from complications of a stroke she suffered two days earlier. 1993: Swiss, Cowboy and Country 2005: Nothing to Lose

Awards and nominations 1975 Record World Top New Female Vocalist

1976 Academy of Country Music Awards Most Promising Female Vocalist 1977

ASACP Awards Country Artist of the Year 1980 Record World Top Female Vocalist

1994

Vocal Duo of the Year