ROOTS of Country Music

The Professional Work of Singer/Guitarist Cal Smith

Cal Smith was born on April 7, 1932, in Gains, Oklahoma and raised in Oakland, California. A guitar player since childhood, he spent time with rodeo performers as a teen and began to think about a music career. He started playing music professionally when he was 15, at a bar called The Remember Me Cafe. He did a two-year stint in the military and returned to the San Francisco Bay area after his discharge (mid-‘50s), where he played in a band while trying to gain a footing into the country music arena. Smith appeared on the California Hayride television program soon after its inception in the mid-1950s.

In 1961, Cal got his initial breakthrough as a rhythm guitarist with Ernest Tubb’s Texas Troubadours. Ernest Tubb (ET) heard him perform and invited Cal into his band. ET was well known for having one of the best bands in the country music arena. By the early-1960s, the band included lightning-fingered Leon Rhodes (lead guitar, 1960-1967), Buddy Emmons (steel, 1960 – 1961), Buddy Charleton (steel guitar, 1962 - 1967), Jack Drake (bass guitar), Cal Smith (rhythm guitar, 1961-1967) and Jack Greene (drums, 1962-1965), arguably one of the finest backup bands in the history of country music.

The Troubadours cut three LPs of their own (1964 – 1966), which exposed Smith to wider audiences, as he provided vocals on the albums. ET helped smith get his own record deal with Kapp Records in 1966.

While still a Troubadour, Smith starting recording for Kapp, having minor chart success immediately, although the big hits were slow arriving. The first single he released was "I'll Just Go Home" (K-748). Smith made his first chart entry with "The Only Thing I Want" (K-788), a single that failed to break into the top-40. However, when "Drinking Champagne" (K-938, 1968) cracked the top-40, Smith left the Troubadours to focus on his own career.

During the four years that Cal recorded for Kapp Records (1966 – 1970), he generated eight more moderate singles, including "Heaven Is Just a Touch Away" (K-2059, 1969). Upon completion of his Kapp contract, Cal signed with Decca, and material from Nashville's top writers began to come his way. His singles sporadically appeared in the top-forty over the next couple of years.

Smith kicked off 1972 with one of the greatest songs of the year with the breakup song, "I've Found Someone of My Own" (No. 4, 1972). It was his first song to give America a taste of what Cal could do as a solo artist. However, Smith had to wait it out another year before claiming the top chart spot. Cal scored his number one hit with the Bill Anderson composition, "The Lord Knows I'm Drinking.”

In 1974 Cal scored his second number one hit with "Country Bumpkin," a Don Wayne-penned tune that became Smith's signature song and a radio staple for many years. Cal Smith's musical contributions were acknowledged as the Country Music Association named the song for Single of the Year. That year, Smith returned to the top of the charts with his third number one and biggest single, "It's Time to Pay the Fiddler.”

It took Cal five years to reach the pinnacle of his career. In 1975, his career mysteriously took a tail spin and he failed return to the top-ten. Cal charted three additional top-twenty singles, "Between Lust and Watching TV" (No.11, 1974), “She Talked a Lot About Texas" (No. 13, 1975) and "I Just Came Home to Count the Memories" (No. 15, 1977), though as the decade progressed, he charted less frequently. "Come See About Me" (1977) was his final top-forty single.

After the main phase of his recording career ended, Smith became an investor in the Nashville Sounds minor-league baseball team. He re-emerged briefly in 1986 releasing Stories of Life by Cal Smith on the independent Step One label. Since 1986 Smith has been in retirement and made only rare music appearances. He chose the country music town of Branson Missouri to make his home.