Margo Smith (born Betty Lou Miller; April 9, 1939 – January 23, 2024) was an American Country music and Christian music music singer–songwriter. She had several years of country success during the 1970s, which included two number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. In the 1990s, she transitioned towards the Christian market and issued two successful albums. She is also known for her yodeling vocal skills and is often referred to as "The Tennessee Yodeler".
Smith was born and raised in Ohio. During her childhood she learned how to sing and yodel. After graduating high school, Smith chose to pursue a career in education. For nearly a decade Smith taught elementary school and started a family with her first husband. In her thirties, she decided to begin a singing career full-time and also started songwriting. In 1971, she released her first album titled I'm a Lady and developed a following. By 1975, Smith had signed with 20th Century Fox Records and had her first major hit on the country charts with the song "There I Said It." She had further hits in the 1970s with songs like "Take My Breath Away" and "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You".
In 1979, Smith released the single "Still a Woman" and made significant changes to her musical persona. The transition helped to briefly elevate Smith's commercial country music career and she had further hits. By the early 1980s, Smith regretted making stylistic changes to her career and left her recording contract. She released music independently during the 1980s while also issuing albums through major labels. In the 1990s, Smith transitioned towards Christian music and recording two albums with her daughter, Holly. The pair won awards for their collaborative music and performed for several years. In later years, Smith continued performing as a solo act at her residence in Florida.
In 1975, Smith signed with 20th Century Fox Records and began recording under the name Margo Smith. Her first release for the label was the single "There I Said It." The self-composed song became a major hit, reaching number eight on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It also climbed into the top 20 of the RPM Country Singles chart in Canada. In September 1975, her eponymous debut album was issued on 20th Century Fox and included ten self-penned tracks. The project was also her first to chart on the Billboard country albums list.
In 1978, Warner Bros. released two singles by Smith that became number one singles on the Billboard country songs survey. Both "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" and "It Only Hurts for a Little While" reached the top spot and had previously been Pop music hits a decade prior to Smith's cover. Her next single release was also a pop cover: "Little Things Mean a Lot." The song reached number three on the country songs chart. All three tracks also reached top ten positions on the RPM chart in Canada. The songs were issued on Smith's fifth studio album, Don't Break the Heart That Loves You. The album included a mixture of cover tunes and original recordings, including a self-penned track by Smith. The album was her highest-charting record in the United States, reaching number 27 on the Billboard country albums survey in 1978. Allmusic gave the project a three-star rating. Others took notice of Smith's singing style with the album's release. Writers Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann remarked of her musical image during this period as being "housewifey," while also highlighting the "Jean Arthur purr in her voice."
In 1979, Smith felt her music lacked an identity of its own. Together, with songwriter Mack David and producer Norro Wilson, she wrote a song that would alter her artistic image. Titled "Still a Woman," the song focused on the marital needs facing middle-aged women, according to an excerpt from Billboard magazine. Smith also spoke of the song in the same interview: "I wanted to write a song that said 'hey, even though I may have a few children and a few gray hairs, I'm just as good as I ever was'." Released as a single, it reached number seven on the Billboard country list and the top 20 of the RPM chart in 1979. The song was released on a similarly themed album called A Woman. The project peaked at number 36 on the country albums chart. Writer Greg Adams described A Woman as having "a mildly adventurous spirit." Kurt Wolff commented that A Woman made Smith into "a middle-aged sexpot." The album would also produce a second single in 1979. Smith's cover of "If I Give My Heart to You" would reach the top ten of the Billboard country chart in 1979.
Smith's new musical style brought further career changes. She began incorporating a new concert style that included "increasingly flashy" stage shows, according to Kurt Wolff. She also included stage choreography and spoke openly about sex in interviews. "Sex is a part of every woman and if she says it ain't, she's a liar. That's the way I feel," she explained in 1980. Her career persona helped increase her fan club, which began to include a larger female audience. She also received more concert work, opening for larger country acts with her band Night Flight. She continued the same image with her next album release titled Just Margo (1979). The album's cover featured Smith wearing just a satin robe. Sales in Canada brought the album to the number 14 spot on the RPM Country Albums survey in 1979. It also produced the top 20 country hit, "The Shuffle Song," which Smith co-wrote. She transitioned into 1980 with the album Diamonds and Chills, whose album cover displayed Smith with a "plunging neckline," according to Wolff. The album received three stars from Allmusic and Billboard praised its country pop musical styles. The album's two singles, which included a cover of Mary Wells' "My Guy" peaked outside the top 40 of the North American country charts. In 1981, she collaborated with country artist Rex Allen Jr. on the duet, "Cup of Tea." Released as a single, the track reached number 12 on the country songs chart.
In 1987, Smith released her next studio record titled The Best Yet. Issued on Playback Records, the album contained cover versions of traditional pop standards, such as "You Belong to Me" and "Harbor Lights." The album received a mix review from Billboard magazine. Writers found Smith's vocals to be "a little strident at times". Yet, they also noted that she "knows how to reach the heart of some of the great pop tunes that commanded the charts before rock 'n' roll rolled in." Spawned from the album was the song "Echo Me," which is her final charting single to date, peaking at number 77 on the Billboard country survey in 1988. She followed in 1989 with her second Cammeron label release, Back in the Swing.
In the early 1990s, Smith collaborated with her daughter Holly on Christian music. Together, the duo signed with Homeland Records and had success on contemporary Christian radio with several duet singles. Their first album release was 1991's Just the Beginning. It was followed in 1992 by their second collaborative release titled Wishes. In 1994, the duo was nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year at the second annual Christian Country Music Awards. The duo remained a popular touring act on the Christian music circuit as late as 1995 where they performed at a charity to raise money for disaster relief.
In later years, Smith continued performing while also venturing into other projects. She started selling a tape on her official website that taught singers how to yodel. She also mentored performers who wanted to learn the skill, including Taylor Ware, who appeared on a season of America's Got Talent. Smith also continued releasing music of her own. In 2005 she issued her most recent studio effort to date, titled Nothing to Lose. The album was released on Lamon Records. She also continued to perform in The Villages, Florida, where Smith lived year-round. In 2015, she helped raise $11,000 for The Ukulele Kids Club, a Florida organization that provides musical instruments to children in hospitals.
Smith's yodeling vocal style has also been observed by journalists and writers. Writers Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann found that she often incorporated "quasi-yodel vocal breaks" into her singing performances. Tony Violanti of The Villages-News also found Smith's yodeling to display emotion: "Smith may have tiny physical stature but her voice can crackle with emotion." In a 2006 interview, Smith explained that her yodeling style is created from a vocal break in her voice known as a "glottal catch". "Not just anybody can yodel. You have to have the ability to have that flip in your voice," she commented.
Smith's image has also been a subject of discussion among writers. Authors of music publications have pointed out that Smith's music helped provide an outlet for middle-aged women attempting to rekindle romantic relationships. Kurt Wolff of Country Music: The Rough Guide explained that "few singers spoke so unabashedly of attempting to reinvigorate love's fading fires, especially from a woman's perspective." Wolff further commented that Smith's songwriting contained "lyrical boldness" that helped provide voice to "middle-aged couples who'd been together for years." Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann remarked that her concerts of the late 1970s were among "the era's flashiest show queen stage routines."
In 1985, the Cammeron's Nashville home was destroyed in a house fire where they lost many material possessions. A fundraiser was later created to help the couple rebuild.
In August 2014, Smith was involved in a near fatal head-on car collision near her home in The Villages, Florida. She suffered a shattered wrist, broken ankle, and multiple bruises. She spent three months at a local rehabilitation center and made a full recovery and was expected to return to performing in December 2014. Law enforcement officials later stated that Smith would not have survived the accident if she had not been wearing a seat belt or left her car's convertible top down. In June 2016, Smith was hospitalized with double pneumonia, among other health concerns. She was sent to the intensive care unit where she remained until her health improved. Smith later made a full-recovery and began performing in the fall of 2016. "I feel as well as I can be and I feel great singing in front of all these people," she commented.
Smith died on January 23, 2024, in Franklin, Tennessee, at the age of 84, from complications of a stroke she suffered two days earlier.
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