Margo Smith
Margo Smith (* 9. April 1942 as Betty Lou Miller in Dayton , Ohio ) is an American country music singer, known for her yodeling talent and in the second half of the 1970s had several big hits.
Life
Margo Smith grew up as an adoptive daughter in a large family. She became a teacher and often entertained her classes with country and folk songs, some of which she had composed herself. Word soon got around her singing talent and her extremely beautiful voice and her first appearances on local radio stations were made. In the early 1970s, she signed a record deal with one of the smaller Nashville labels. However, the success came only after she switched to 20th Century Records in 1975. At that time she was already 32 years old.
Her first single with her own composition There I Said It made it into the Country Top 10. After releasing another single and an album, their record company closed the Nashville branch and Smith lost her contract. Only a little later it was taken over by the Warner Brothers label. Here she had two number 1 hits in 1978 with Don't Break The Heart That Loves You and It Only Hurts A Little While . Towards the end of the decade, their image changed. After the divorce from her first husband, her outfit became noticeably sexier and the lyrics more direct. She was also emphatically frank in interviews. Success proved her right. Her new single, Still Another Woman , made it into the top 10 again.
In the early 1980s she brought out several successful duets with her singing partner Rex Allen Jr. , which earned them an Academy of Country Music nomination for "Duo of the Year". In 1982 she married Richard Cammeron, who became her manager and started his own record company. The sales figures and chart placements gradually decreased, and she lost her contract. With smaller labels she tried in vain to build on the old successes. In the mid-1980s she recorded an album with yodel songs that was quite successful commercially.
In the 1990s, she made another radical change in image and style. She switched to Christian music, where she and her daughter celebrated success in the gospel scene as "Margo Smith & Holly".
Discography
Albums
| year | title | Label | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Margo Smith | 20th Century | |
| 1976 | Song bird | Warner Brothers | |
| 1977 | Happiness | Warner Brothers | |
| 1978 | Don't Break The Heart That Loves You | Warner Brothers | |
| 1979 | A woman | Warner Brothers | |
| 1979 | Just Margo | Warner Brothers | |
| 1980 | Diamonds & Chills | Warner Brothers | |
| 1987 | The Best Of The Tennessee Yodeler | Bermudamca | |
| 1991 | Just the beginning | Homeland | Margo Smith & Holly |
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Smith, Margo |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Miller, Betty Lou (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 9, 1942 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Dayton , Ohio |