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Carl Smith, one of the most successful and distinctive country artists to emerge in the 1950′s, died Saturday (Jan. 16, 2010) at his home in Franklin, Tennessee, south of Nashville. He was 82. Carl was a dominate force in country music throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, with 30 Top 10 hits. From his debut chart entry in 1951 through late 1955, he had 21 consecutive Top 10 singles. During his career, Carl scored 53 Top 20 hits, including five that went to No. 1. He specialized in pure honky-tonk and had a talent for singing smooth ballads, but rarely crossed over into the pop audience. Regardless, Carl was one of the most popular and best-known country singers of his era. He topped the charts with such classics as Let’s Live a Little (1951), Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way (1951), Are You Teasing Me (1952), Hey Joe (1953) Loose Talk (1954), Back Up Buddy (1954), Kisses Dont Lie (1955), There She Goes (1955) and Before I Met You (1956). At age 15, Carl started performing in a band called Kitty Dibble and Her Dude Ranch Ranglers. By age 17, he had learned to play the string bass and spent his summer vacation working at WROL-AM in Knoxville, Tennessee. After graduating from high school, he briefly served in the US Navy. Smith returned to WROL and played string bass for country singers Molly O’Day and Skeets Williamson. WSM radio in Nashville, Tennessee signed Smith to a contract, and he began working for the station and singing at the Grand Ole Opry. Carls easy manner and sharp stage presence led to his Country Gentleman moniker, but his appeal was not strictly visual. By late 1951, he was leading one of country musics finest bands, The Tunesmiths, a group that featured steel guitarist Johnny Sibert, now a member of the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. By 1950, Columbia Records signed Smith to a recording contract and he made his chart debut the following year with Lets Live a Little. In 1951, he married June Carter and they had a daughter named Carlene. They were divorced in 1957. In 1956, Smith left the Grand Ole Opry, moved to California and appeared in several movies. Soon after, he joined the Phillip Morris Country Music Show and spent more than a year touring the USA. Also known as The Tall Gentleman, he was the man posing on a beautiful horse for Marlboro cigarette commercials. He also made regular appearances on ABC-tv’s Ozark Jubilee and was a fill-in host for Red Foley. In 1957, Smith married country music singer Goldie Hill, best known for the number one hit I Let the Stars Get in My Eyes. They had one daughter and two sons. By the late 50s, Smith’s chart activity began to wane and soon his string of Top 10s gave way to Top 20 hits. As the ’50s ended, Smith was no longer a dominant force on the country charts, but he never stopped having hits. During the ’60s, he consistently charted in the Top 40, which was indicative of his status as a country music statesman. In 1961, he appeared on abc’s country television series, Four Star Jubilee, and a few years later, he began hosting Carl Smith’s Country Music Hall for Canadian television; the series also was syndicated in America. He was a staple on the Columbia Records roster for almost twenty five years. However they parted ways in 1975 after selling more then 15 million records. Carl signed on with Hickory Records, but his singles were barely making the charts. After having a handful of minor hits for the label, including several that were released on ABC/Hickory, he decided to retire from entertaining in the late ’70s. Smith dropped from the spotlight after his 1979 retirement. He and his wife, Goldie, resided on their horse farm outside of Franklin, Tennessee. Goldie Hill died in 2005 Carl was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2003. Many of country music’s most revered performers turned out for the event to honor a legend, who helped sustain and solidify country music at a time when it had become vulnerable from the surge of R&B, Rock and Pop music fields. During his era as an entertainer, Carl became a role model and inspired dozens of upcoming artists. Foremost, Carl was the epitome of a country gentleman. His recordings are sure to remain among the most evocative and influential in all of country music. Carl Smith, The Tall Gentleman from Maynardsville, Tennessee, left an indelible mark on country music and his passing creates a void in the entertainment industry that cannot be filled. He will be sorely missed. Carl died from a stroke at his Franklin home sometime Saturday morning on January 16, 2010. RJB, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

TO MY WEEKLY SPECIAL MOVIE TRAILER SERIES! ******************************************************** ********Release: 16 June 1978 (USA)************** It is 4 years after the events of ‘Jaws’, and the residents of Amity are putting their lives back together with the opening of a new hotel & luxury condominiums. Two divers also come across the wrck of Quint’s boat Orca and start taking photographs. A huge shark appears and kills the divers, but not before one of them got a picture of it. When …

**************PLEASE SUBSCRIBE****************** TO MY WEEKLY SPECIAL MOVIE TRAILER SERIES! ******************************************************** ********Release: 16 June 1978 (USA)************** It is 4 years after the events of ‘Jaws’, and the residents of Amity are putting their lives back together with the opening of a new hotel & luxury condominiums. Two divers also come across the wrck of Quint’s boat Orca and start taking photographs. A huge shark appears and kills the divers, but …