Sammi Smith (August 5, 1943 - February 12, 2005) was a country music singer and songwriter. Born Jewel Faye Smith, she is best known for her 1971 country/pop crossover hit, "Help Me Make It Through the Night", which was written by Kris Kristofferson. She became one of the few women in the "outlaw country" movement during the 1970s.
Early life
Sammi Smith was born in Orange County, California, in 1943 but spent her childhood in the Southwest. She dropped out of school at the age of eleven and began to sing professionally in nightclubs. She was only fifteen when she married, and eventually had four children. In 1967, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, after her recent divorce. When Johnny Cash got wind of her talent, she was soon signed with Columbia Records. She produced her first minor country hit in 1968 titled "So Long, Charlie Brown, Don't Look for Me Around". The song showed Smith's potential as a country powerhouse.
The success of "Help Me Make It Through the Night"
"Help Me Make It Through the Night" was Sammi Smith's career hit and the one that made her famous. She had been one of the rare women in the "outlaw country" movement sweeping country music in the 1970s. At this time, country was moving in two directions: "outlaw" and a more mainstream pop sound. However, "outlaw country" would be short-lived, with country taking on a distinctly pop cast by the end of the '70s. Smith would still remain with the "outlaw" sound throughout the 1970s.
In 1970, Smith signed with a new label Mega Records and her first hit for her new label was called "He's Everywhere", which made the top 25 on the country charts. Finally, in 1971, she struck gold with "Help Me Make It Through the Night". The song immediately became a #1 hit on the country charts and #8 on the Billboard U.S. pop chart. At first, record companies were uncomfortable with the song's honest sexuality, which was new for country music, but DJs tested the song and the response from listeners was enormous. The song had been composed by Kris Kristofferson, only a songwriter at the time, who had recorded the only other version of the song. After Smith's hit, the song was later covered by Gladys Knight and the Pips and Elvis Presley; both versions achieved more modest chart success.
In 1972, Sammi Smith won a Grammy Award for the song. She also won the title Best Female Country Vocal Performance that year, and Kristofferson took songwriting awards. The song made Smith and Kristofferson household names in the music business.
After "Help Me Make It Through the Night"
After the success of her hit, Smith continued to have more success on the country charts. In 1973, Sammi moved to Dallas, Texas, with Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson to become a country "outlaw". Smith would continue to have an ongoing friendship with Jennings and Nelson for the rest of her life.
Smith continued to have success with the Mega Records label until 1975. She reached the Top 10 twice after the success of "Help Me Make It Through the Night" with "Then You Walk In" (1971) and "Today I Started Loving You Again" (1975), her last Top Ten hit. In 1972, "I've Got to Have You" was a successful country hit, and it even broke onto the pop charts at #77. However, Smith's songs would not catch much fire during the rest of her career. Smith would continue to score Top 40 country hits like "The Rainbow in Daddy's Eyes" (1974) and "Long Black Veil" (1974).
In 1976, after Mega Records closed its doors, Smith signed with Elektra Records and scored with several hits, the biggest of these were "Sunday School to Broadway" (1976), "Loving Arms" (1977), "I Can't Stop Loving You" (1977), and "Days That End in Y" (1977).
In 1979, Smith made a successful comeback album on Cyclone Records called Girl Hero. The song "What a Lie" from that album almost became a Top 10 country hit for Smith, peaking at #16. She also recorded for Sound Factory Records during the early '80s and scored her last Top 20 in 1981 with "Cheatin's a Two-Way Street." Her last country hit came in 1986 with "Love Me All Over."
Decline and retirement
After 1979, little was heard from Sammi Smith. She had, however, moved to Arizona and became involved in Native American causes, working for Apaches. She also started her own band called Apache Spirit, which was made up of Native Americans.
In 1995 a compilation album was released called The Best of Sammi Smith, which consisted of her big hit and many other various countrypolitan songs.
Death
On February 12, 2005, at the age of 61, Sammi Smith died at her home in Oklahoma City. Although the cause of her death was never confirmed, it was known that Smith was a heavy smoker her entire life.
To mark Sammi Smith's long career, a tribute album was released in her honor on September 26, 2006, titled Help Me Make It Through the Night: The Memorial Album. It featured all of her biggest hits from the 1970s.
Family
Sammi Smith's son, Waylon Payne, became a well-known actor in his own right. In 2005 he portrayed Jerry Lee Lewis in the motion picture Walk the Line, the biopic film about the life of Johnny Cash, one of Smith's old friends.
Discography
Awards
CMA Awards
Grammy Awards
Award nominations
CMA Awards
- 1971: Album of the Year for Help Me Make It Through the Night
- 1971: Female Vocalist of the Year
References
- All Music
- Countrypolitan
- Sammi Smith At CMT.com
- Tucker, Stephen R. (1998). "Sammi Smith". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 492.
- Wolff, Kurt. Country Music: The Rough Guide.
