Calvin Grant Shofner (April 7, 1932 – October 10, 2013),
known professionally as Cal Smith, was an American
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...
musician, most famous for his 1974 hits "
Country Bumpkin" and "
It's Time to Pay the Fiddler".
Career
Calvin Grant Shofner was born on April 7, 1932, in
Gans, Oklahoma
Gans is a town in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 312 at the 2010 census, an increase of 50 percent over the figure of 208 recorded in 200 ...
,
as the youngest of three sons of James "Otto" and Ethel (Quinn) Shofner. During the
Great Depression, the Smiths headed west and settled in
Oakland,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
,
[ and he grew up in San Jose, California.] Smith began his music career performing at the Remember Me Cafe in San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
at the age of 15, but he was not financially successful at first. Throughout the 1950s, he was not able to continue his music career, so he worked at various other jobs, including truck driving
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...
and bronco busting. He appeared on the ''California Hayride
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the mo ...
'' television show in the mid-1950s before serving two years in the military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
.
After his discharge, he began playing in a band in the San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
. In 1961, country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
legend Ernest Tubb
Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984), nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, " Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), ...
heard the band play and, after an audition, hired Smith to play guitar for the Texas Troubadours
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. Thus, Smith is heard playing in most of Tubb's 1960s recordings. His first solo single was "Tear Stained Pillow" / "Eleven Long Years" on the local Plaid label. Smith's stage name began to catch on after he released his second solo single, "I'll Just Go Home", in 1966 for Kapp Records
Kapp Records was an independent record label started in 1954 by David Kapp, brother of Jack Kapp (who set up American Decca Records in 1934). David Kapp founded his own label after stints with Decca and RCA Victor. Kapp licensed its records to L ...
, and he first cracked the ''Billboard'' chart with his second single, "The Only Thing I Want".
Smith permanently parted ways with Tubb and the Texas Troubadours in 1969 and he released his first solo album, ''Drinking Champagne'', in 1969. The album's title track had reached the Top 40 on the country chart the previous year, and was later a Top 10 hit for George Strait in 1990.
In 1970, Smith signed with Decca Records, and his popularity quickly soared, starting off with his 1972 Top 10 hit, " I've Found Someone of My Own". He began recording songs written by some of the biggest names in the industry; for instance, in March 1973, his rendition of Bill Anderson's "The Lord Knows I'm Drinking
"The Lord Knows I'm Drinking" is a song written by Bill Anderson, and recorded by American country music singer Cal Smith. It was released in November 1972 as the third single from the album ''I've Found Someone of My Own''.
Song background
Smi ...
" became his first number-one country hit. When Decca became MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...
in 1973, he enjoyed his biggest successes. In 1974, he recorded two of his greatest hits, " It's Time to Pay the Fiddler" and " Country Bumpkin", which received Song of the Year Awards from both the Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
and the Country Music Association.
Later career
Smith continued to have success with MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...
into the late 1970s including the Top 20 singles "Between Lust And Watching TV" (1974), "She Talked A Lot About Texas" (1975), "I Just Came Home To Count The Memories" (1977), and "Come See About Me" (1977). After this he continued to have minor successes that included "The Rise And Fall Of The Roman Empire" in 1979.
Smith released his last album, ''Stories of Life by Cal Smith'', in 1986 on Step One Records, where he scored a minor hit that year with "King Lear".
Personal life
In 1977, Smith joined entrepreneur Larry Schmittou
Larry Schmittou (born July 19, 1940) is an American entrepreneur and former baseball executive and coach. He owns S&S Family Entertainment LLC, which operates a chain of bowling centers in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.
From 1968 to 1978 ...
and other country music stars, such as Conway Twitty, Jerry Reed
Jerry Reed Hubbard (March 20, 1937 – September 1, 2008) was an American singer, guitarist, composer, and songwriter as well as an actor who appeared in more than a dozen films. His signature songs included " Guitar Man", " U.S. Male", "A Thi ...
, Larry Gatlin
Larry Wayne Gatlin (born May 2, 1948) is an American country and Southern gospel singer and songwriter. As part of a trio with his younger brothers Steve and Rudy, he achieved considerable success within the country music genre, performing on ...
, and Richard Sterban
Richard Anthony Sterban (born April 24, 1943) is an American singer. He was born in Camden, New Jersey. In 1973, he joined the country and gospel quartet The Oak Ridge Boys, in which he sings bass.
Personal life
Born in Camden, New Jersey, Ster ...
, as investors in the Nashville Sounds, a minor league baseball team of the Double-A Southern League that began play in 1978.
Smith and his wife, Darlene, lived in the Branson Branson may refer to:
Places
;Canada
* Branson, Toronto
;United States
* Branson, Missouri, a popular tourist destination in the Ozark Mountains
* Branson, Colorado
* Branson City, California
* The Branson School, in Ross, California
* Warrenpoi ...
, Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
area.
Smith died in Branson on October 10, 2013. He is survived by Darlene, his son Calvin, five grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a son, Jimmie Todd.
Discography
Albums
Singles
*A"The Lord Knows I'm Drinking" also peaked at No. 64 on the '' Billboard'' Hot 100.
Awards
* 1974 — Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
- Song of the Year
* 1974 — Country Music Association - Song of the Year
* 1974 — Country Music Association - Single of the Year
* 2007 - Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame
The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, located in Muskogee, Oklahoma, honors Oklahoma musicians for their lifetime achievements in music. The induction ceremony and concert are held each year in Muskogee. Since its establishment in 1997, the Hall of Fa ...
- Inductee
References
External links
*
Cal Smith at CMT.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Cal
1932 births
2013 deaths
People from Sequoyah County, Oklahoma
Musicians from Oakland, California
American country singer-songwriters
American country guitarists
American male guitarists
MCA Records artists
Decca Records artists
Kapp Records artists
Guitarists from California
20th-century American guitarists
Country musicians from California
Country musicians from Oklahoma
20th-century American male musicians
American male singer-songwriters
Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma
Singer-songwriters from California