Carl Milton Smith (1927 - 2010)

Born 15 Mar 1927 in Maynardville, Union Co, Tennessee, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Valerie June (Carter) Cash — married 9 Jul 1952 (to 1956) in Alcoa, Blount, Tennessee, United States

Descendants

Died 16 Jan 2010 at age 82 in Franklin, Williamson Co, Tennessee, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Scott Fulkerson [send private message]

Biography

Carl Smith was born in Appalachia, in Tennessee.

Carl Smith is Notable.

This profile is part of the Smith Name Study.

Carl Milton Smith was born on March 15, 1927 in Maynardville, Union Co, Tennessee, United States, son of Dock Smith (1883–1963) and Ina Monroe (1888–1981).^[1]

Known as "Mister Country", he was one of the genre's most successful male artists during the 1950s, scoring 30 top-10 Billboard hits (21 of which were consecutive). Smith's success continued well into the 1970s, when he had a charting single every year but one. He started his music career at the age of 15, playing with Kitty Dibble and Her Dude Ranch Ranglers. He spent the summer of 1944 performing on Cas Walker’s show on radio station, WROL-AM, in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Carl served in World War II. ^[2]

After his service in WWII, Carl returned to WROL playing string bass for other artists and began singing. One of his colleagues at the radio station sent an acetate recording of him to WSM-AM and The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. WSM signed him up and he received a recording contract from Columbia Records in 1950.

In 1951, he reached #2 on the Billboard Country charts with Let’s Live A Little. Also in 1951, Carl had his first #1 hit, Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way. These songs, along with a couple others made him and his band, The Tunesmiths, well-known in country music.

Carl (25) married Valerie June Carter (23) (born on June 23, 1929 in Maces Spring, Scott, Virginia, United States; daughter of Ezra J. Carter and Maybelle (Addington) Carter) on July 9, 1952 in Alcoa, Blount, Tennessee.^[3] Their daughter, Regina Carlene, who went on to becoming a recording artist in her own right under the name Carlene Carter, was born in 1955.

Carl and June recorded two duets, Time’s a Wastin and Love Oh Crazy Love.

He had 5 #1 hits during his career, the last one coming in 1955 titled, Loose Talk. Smith quit the Grand Ole Opry in 1956 and spent a year touring the United States in a show that was frequently in competition with touring music shows of the Opry. He also regularly appeared on the television show Jubilee USA and on occasion filled in for host, Red Foley. Carl and June divorced during this period. (1956)

In 1957 he appeared the movies The Badge of Marshall Brennan and Buffalo Gun. This year also brought his marriage to fellow country music singer, Goldie Hill. They had 3 children, Carl Jr, Larry Dean, and Lori Lynn. It was after this that his career started to slow down. He had 2 Top-20 hits in 1962 & 1964. 1967 saw the release of Deep Water, his first Top-10 hit in 8 years and his final one. During the 60s he was a rotating host of the television show Five Star Jubilee and also hosted Carl Smith’s Country Music Hall and appeared on the Jimmy Dean Show. In 1975 he made a guest appearance on Hawaii 5-0.

Carl retired from the music industry in the late 1970s and started raising cutting horses on his farm in Franklin Tennessee.

The Country Music Hall of Fame inducted him in 2003.

Carl (29) married Argolda Voncile Hill (23) (born on January 11, 1933 in Karnes, Texas, United States; daughter of John Thomas Hill Sr. and Effie Mae (Davis) Menefee) in 1957.

Carl died on January 16, 2010 in Franklin, Williamson Co, Tennessee, aged 82.^{[4] [1]} 5 years after Goldie’s death.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46784122/carl-milton-smith: accessed 17 November 2023), memorial page for Carl Milton Smith (15 Mar 1927–16 Jan 2010), Find a Grave Memorial ID 46784122, citing Williamson Memorial Gardens, Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee, USA
2. ↑ U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1946, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2238/images/44039_09_00026-00271?pId=201496459
3. ↑ "Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q281-WFMF : 2 May 2023), Carl Milton Smith and Veleria June Carter, 09 Jul 1952; citing Blount, Tennessee, United States, Marriage, p. , Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville and county clerk offices from various counties; FHL microfilm 888,860.
4. ↑ "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VSWV-9NG : 12 January 2021), Carl M Smith, 16 Jan 2010; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).

See also:

• Carl Smith article on Wikipedia
• "United States Census, 1930", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SP7X-1JG : Wed Oct 04 23:47:03 UTC 2023), Entry for Dock Smith and Ina Smith, 1930.
• "United States Census, 1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K4HX-WZ2 : Thu Oct 05 18:57:43 UTC 2023), Entry for Dock Smith and Ina Smith, 1940.
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKWL-3CCN : Wed Oct 18 02:02:17 UTC 2023), Entry for June Carter Cash and Johnny Cash, 16 May 2003.
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK4G-NX3Q : Tue Oct 17 21:02:29 UTC 2023), Entry for Carl Smith and June Carter, 19 Jan 2010.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Kitty Smith for contributions to this profile.