was considered a country music outlaw, unafraid to sing songs that reflected the sometimes gritty realities of modern life. She first came to fame singing Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through the Night" and was noted for her husky voice, the result of spending many years singing in smoke-filled clubs.
She was born Jewel Fay Smith in California, but spent her childhood living in different southwestern states. At age 11,
Smith dropped out of school and the following year began singing professionally in clubs. She married at age 15 and gave birth to four children. At songwriter Gene Sullivan's urging, a newly divorced
Smith moved to Nashville in 1967. A year later she had her first minor hit, "So Long, Charlie Brown, Don't Look for Me Around." In 1970, she had another minor hit, but it was not until the end of the year that she had her first major smash with "Help Me Make It Through the Night," which made it to the top of the country charts and also became a Top Ten pop hit. Later that year, she wrote "Cedartown, Georgia," which became a major hit for
Waylon Jennings.
In 1973,
Smith moved to Dallas to join
Jennings and
Willie Nelson and become an "outlaw." Through 1975, she had several hits including "Then You Walk In" and "Today I Started Loving You Again." She moved to Elektra in 1975 and remained with the label for three years. During that time, she had several chart entries with such songs as "Loving Arms" and "Days That End in 'Y'" (both 1977) and "Norma Jean" (1978), a tribute to
Marilyn Monroe. In 1979, she signed to the independent Cyclone label and had a Top 20 hit with "What a Lie." In 1980, she moved to Sound Factory and had one Top 40 and two Top 20 hits including "I Cry When I'm Alone." Her last hit came in 1986 with "Love Me All Over."
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Sandra Brennan, Rovi