- Sammi Smith
Infobox musical artist
Name = Sammi Smith
Img_capt = Sammi Smith playing the guitar
Img_size = (Only use for images smaller than 220 pixels)
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Jewel Faye Smith
Alias = Sammi Smith
Born = birth date|1943|8|5|mf=y
Died = death date and age|2005|2|12|1943|8|5|mf=y
Origin =Orange County, California
Instrument =
Genre =Country music
Occupation =singer ,songwriter
Years_active = 1968-2005
Label =Columbia Records
Mega Records
Elektra Records
Cyclone Records
Associated_acts =Waylon Jennings ,Willie Nelson ,Jessi Colter
URL =Sammi Smith (
August 5 ,1943 -February 12 ,2005 ) was acountry music singer andsongwriter . Born Jewel Faye Smith, she is best known for her 1971 country/pop crossover hit, "Help Me Make It Through the Night ", which was written byKris Kristofferson . She became one of the few women in the "outlaw country" movement during the 1970s.Early life
Sammi Smith was born in
Orange County, California , in 1943 but spent her childhood in the Southwest. She dropped out of school at the age of eleven and began to sing professionally in nightclubs. She was only fifteen when she married, and eventually had four children. In 1967, she moved toNashville, Tennessee , after her recent divorce. WhenJohnny Cash got wind of her talent, she was soon signed withColumbia Records . She produced her first minor country hit in 1968 titled "So Long, Charlie Brown, Don't Look for Me Around". The song showed Smith's potential as a country powerhouse.The success of "Help Me Make It Through the Night"
"
Help Me Make It Through the Night " was Sammi Smith's career hit and the one that made her famous. She had been one of the rare women in the "outlaw country" movement sweeping country music in the 1970s. At this time, country was moving in two directions: "outlaw" and a more mainstream pop sound. However, "outlaw country" would be short-lived, with country taking on a distinctly pop cast by the end of the '70s. Smith would still remain with the "outlaw" sound throughout the 1970s.In 1970, Smith signed with a new label
Mega Records and her first hit for her new label was called "He's Everywhere", which made the top 25 on the country charts. Finally, in 1971, she struck gold with "Help Me Make It Through the Night ". The song immediately became a #1 hit on the country charts and #8 on theBillboard U.S. pop chart. At first, record companies were uncomfortable with the song's honest sexuality, which was new for country music, but DJs tested the song and the response from listeners was enormous. The song had been composed byKris Kristofferson , only a songwriter at the time, who had recorded the only other version of the song. After Smith's hit, the song was later covered byGladys Knight and the Pips andElvis Presley ; both versions achieved more modest chart success.In 1972, Sammi Smith won a
Grammy Award for the song. She also won the titleBest Female Country Vocal Performance that year, and Kristofferson took songwriting awards. The song made Smith and Kristofferson household names in the music business.After "Help Me Make It Through the Night"
After the success of her hit, Smith continued to have more success on the country charts. In 1973, Sammi moved to
Dallas, Texas , withWaylon Jennings andWillie Nelson to become a country "outlaw". Smith would continue to have an ongoing friendship with Jennings and Nelson for the rest of her life.Smith continued to have success with the Mega Records label until 1975. She reached the Top 10 twice after the success of "Help Me Make It Through the Night" with "Then You Walk In" (1971) and "Today I Started Loving You Again" (1975), her last Top Ten hit. In 1972, "I've Got to Have You" was a successful country hit, and it even broke onto the pop charts at #77. However, Smith's songs would not catch much fire during the rest of her career. Smith would continue to score Top 40 country hits like "The Rainbow in Daddy's Eyes" (1974) and "Long Black Veil" (1974).
In 1976, after Mega Records closed its doors, Smith signed with
Elektra Records and scored with several hits, the biggest of these were "Sunday School to Broadway" (1976), "Loving Arms" (1977), "I Can't Stop Loving You" (1977), and "Days That End in Y" (1977).In 1979, Smith made a successful comeback album on Cyclone Records called "Girl Hero". The song "What a Lie" from that album almost became a Top 10 country hit for Smith, peaking at #16. She also recorded for Sound Factory Records during the early '80s and scored her last Top 20 in 1981 with "Cheatin's a Two-Way Street." Her last country hit came in 1986 with "Love Me All Over."
Decline and retirement
After 1979, little was heard from Sammi Smith. She had, however, moved to
Arizona and became involved in Native American causes, working forApache s. She also started her own band called "Apache Spirit", which was made up of Native Americans.In 1995 a compilation album was released called "The Best of Sammi Smith", which consisted of her big hit and many other various "
countrypolitan " songs.Death
On
February 12 ,2005 , at the age of 61, Sammi Smith died at her home in Oklahoma City. Although the cause of her death was never confirmed, it was known that Smith was a heavysmoker her entire life.To mark Sammi Smith's long career, a tribute album was released in her honor on
September 26 ,2006 titled "Help Me Make It Through the Night: The Memorial Album." It featured all of her biggest hits from the 1970s.Trivia
* Sammi Smith's son,
Waylon Payne , became a well-known actor in his own right. In 2005 he portrayedJerry Lee Lewis in the motion pictureWalk the Line , the biopic film about the life ofJohnny Cash , one of Smith's old friends.* Sammi Smith was actually one of only two female country vocalists in the
outlaw country movement of the 1970s. The other wasJessi Colter .* Sammi Smith was never paid for her signature song, "
Help Me Make It Through the Night ". Fact|date=February 2007Discography
ingles
elected albums
Awards
CMA Awards
* 1971: Single of the Year for "
Help Me Make It Through the Night "Grammy Awards
* 1972:
Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Help Me Make It Through the Night "Award nominations
CMA Awards
* 1971: Album of the Year for "Help Me Make It Through the Night"
* 1971: Female Vocalist of the YearReferences
* [http://www.allmusic.com/ All Music]
* [http://www.countrypolitan.com/prof0501.php Countrypolitan]
* [http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/smith_sammi/artist.jhtml Sammi Smith At CMT.com]
* Tucker, Stephen R. (1998). "Sammi Smith". In "The Encyclopedia of Country Music". Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 492.
* Wolff, Kurt. "Country Music: The Rough Guide".
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