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|  | Sammi Smith biography |
In the tradition of Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, singer/
songwriter Sammi Smith was considered a country music outlaw,
unafraid to sing songs that reflected the sometimes gritty realities
of modern life. She first came to fame singing Kris Kristofferson's
"Help Me Make It Through the Night" and was noted for her husky
voice, the result of spending many years singing in smoke-filled
clubs.
She was born Jewel Fay Smith in California, but spent her
childhood living in different southwestern states. At age 11,
Smith dropped out of school and the following year began singing professionally in clubs. She married at age 15 and produced four
children. At songwriter Gene Sullivan's urging, a newly-divorced
Smith moved to Nashville in 1967. A year later she had her first
minor hit, "So Long, Charlie Brown, Don't Look for Me Around."
In 1970, she had another minor hit, but it was not until the end of
the year that she had her first major smash with "Help Me Make
It Through the Night," which made it to the top of the country
charts and also became a Top Ten pop hit. Later that year, she
wrote "Cedartown, Georgia," which became a major hit for
Waylon Jennings.
In 1973, Smith moved to Dallas to join Jennings and Willie Nelson
and become an "outlaw." Through 1975, she had several hits
including "Then You Walk In" and "Today I Started Loving You
Again." She moved to Elektra in 1975 and remained with them
for three years. During that time, she had several chart entries
with such songs as "Loving Arms," "Days That End in 'Y'" (both
1977) and "Norma Jean" (1978), a tribute to Marilyn Monroe. In
1979, she signed to the independent label Cyclone and had a
Top 20 hit with "What a Lie," In 1980, she moved to Sound
Factory and had one Top 40 and two Top 20 hits including
"I Cry When I'm Alone." Her last hit came in 1986 with "Love
Me All Over."
Little is known of Sammi since the mid 80's. It is known, however,
that Sammi has worked for Apaches. Part Apache herself, Sammi
adopted two Apache children and has established a scholarship
to help provide for budding Apache doctors and lawyers. Sammi
also led "Apache Spirit", a band comprised solely of native
Americans. More recently, in 1995, an album embracing
Sammi's greatest hits was released - "The Best of Sammi
Smith". Significantly, the album comprises substantial
"countrypolitan" content.
Few artists have enjoyed the success that Sammi has with
"Help Me Make It Through The Night". The song is a country
`classic’ and has placed the name "Sammi Smith" to the
forefront in the annals of "countrypolitan" music. Sammi's
style has even been used as a comparison yardstick for
modern artists such as current country vocalist, Shelby
Lynne (The Nashville Scene 2/14/2000). As evidenced by
her achievements in the early '70s, Sammi Smith can truly
be ranked among the `greats’ of "countrypolitan" music... |
Go to Sammi Smith lyrics
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