Cal Smith

Cal Smith (born April 7, 1932 as Calvin Grant Shofner in Gans , Oklahoma , USA ; † October 10, 2013 ) was an American country singer who celebrated his greatest success in the 1970s.

Life

Beginnings

Cal Smith (not to be confused with the more famous country singer Carl Smith ) grew up in Oakland , California . He was enthusiastic about country music at an early age and made paid appearances in a pub for the first time when he was fifteen. In the beginning he was still playing for pocket money and free food, but over the years he worked his way up the scene. Still, he had to take on additional jobs to make ends meet financially. He was married for a short time, but his wife, who refused to accept the unsteady life in the long term, gave him the choice between music and marriage. Smith chose the music.

In 1954 he joined the California Hayride Show, and two years later he was drafted into the military. After returning to civilian life, he first worked as a disc jockey. He played in a group that performed regularly in San José . One day when Ernest Tubb was in the area, Smith managed to get a place in his band, the Texas Troubadors . A musician friend introduced him to the honky tonk legend.

Career

Cal Smith was a member of Tubbs' backing band from 1961 to 1967. In 1966, the big star gave him a contract with the Kapp label. With his second single, The Only Thing I Want , he was able to place in the country charts. But he only became really successful after he switched to the Decca / MCA label in 1970. After a short start-up period, he made it into the top 10 for the first time in 1972 with Found Someone of My Own . His first number 1 hit was his single, The Lord Knows I'm Drinking , after that. He achieved his greatest success in 1974. Country Bumpkin reached the top of the country charts and earned him several major awards. The Academy of Country Music chose Country Bumpkin for "Single of the Year", the CMA for "Song of the Year" and "Single of the Year". In addition, Smith was named "Most Promising Singer". In the same year he had his third and final number 1 hit with It's Time to Pay the Fiddler .

The singer with the deep, sonorous voice, which was often strongly reminiscent of Johnny Cash , had finally reached the top after many years in the music business. In contrast to almost all other country musicians, he had no talent for songwriting and was therefore dependent on supplies from others. Although he was still in the charts a few times, his career was slowly coming to an end. In 1979 he lost his record deal. At a smaller label, he achieved a final chart placement in 1982 in a duet with Billy Parker .

Most recently, Cal Smith lived near Branson, Missouri with his second wife, Darlene .

Discography

Albums:

• 1966 - All The World Is Lonely Now (Kapp)
• 1967 - Goin 'To Cal's Place (Kapp)
• 1968 - Travelin 'Man (Kapp)
• 1968 - At Home With Cal (Kapp)
• 1969 - Drinking Champagne (Kapp)
• 1969 - Cal Smith Sings 'It Takes Me All Night Long' (Kapp)
• 1970 - Country Hit Parade (Kapp)
• 1971 - The Best Of Cal Smith (Kapp)
• 1972 - I've Found Someone Of My Own (Decca / MCA)
• 1972 - The Lord Knows I'm Drinking (MCA)
• 1973 - Swinging Doors (Coral)
• 1973 - Cal Smith (MCA)
• 1974 - Country Bumpkin (MCA)
• 1975 - It's Time To Pay The Fiddler (MCA)
• 1975 - My Kind Of Country (MCA)
• 1976 - Jason's Farm (MCA)
• 1977 - I Just Came Home To Count The Memories (MCA)
• 1983 - Something Old, Something New (Soundwave)
• 1986 - Stories Of Life (Step One)

Web links

• Literature by and about Cal Smith in the catalog of the German National Library
• Cal Smith in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Biography of Cal Smith at CMT.com

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Obituary ( Memento of the original from October 14, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)