Melinda Leigh Smith (born June 1, 1972,

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...

) is an American singer-songwriter. Her first record deal came after she sang a cover version of the song " Jolene" by

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

Music career

Smith was adopted at birth by a non-denominational Protestant minister and his wife, who was choir director at the church. She grew up on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

, New York. After her mother died of cancer in 1991, Smith attended Cincinnati Bible College for two years. Smith and her father moved to

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...

, where she began listening to

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

and

bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music The term American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as ''traditional music'', ''traditional folk music'', ''contemporary folk music'', ''vernacular music,'' or ...

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer and musician. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of 8 and recording for the first time at 14. She signed with ...

, and

the Cox Family The Cox Family is an American country/ bluegrass music group from Cotton Valley in Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana, United States. The Cox Family can be heard on the ''O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' soundtrack. Their 1994 collaboration ...

. In 1998, she moved to

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

to pursue a career in music. Two years later, she reached the finals of a contest at the

Kerrville Folk Festival The Kerrville Folk Festival is a music festival held for 18 consecutive days in the late spring/early summer at Quiet Valley Ranch near Kerrville, Texas. The Kerrville Folk Festival was founded in 1972 by the husband-wife team of Rod Kennedy an ...

. This led to a contract wit
Big Yellow Dog Music
Smith attracted attention in 2003 when she sang a cover version of " Jolene" by

for the tribute album '' Just Because I'm a Woman''. Soon after, she signed a contract with

Vanguard Records Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City. It was a primarily classical label at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s, but also has a catalogue of recordings by a n ...

, who released her debut album, '' One Moment More'' in 2004. In addition to Dolly Parton, she has expressed admiration for

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...

Patty Griffin Patricia Jean Griffin (born March 16, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician.Griffin, Patrici She is a vocalist and plays guitar and piano. She is known for her stripped-down songwriting style in the folk music genre. Her songs ha ...

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are "Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Nig ...

Buddy Miller Steven Paul "Buddy" Miller (born September 6, 1952) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist and producer, currently living in Nashville, Tennessee. Miller is married to and has recorded with singer-songwriter Julie Miller. ...

, and Bill Gaither. "Come to Jesus" was her biggest hit, receiving airplay on

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 the ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

adult album alternative Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, 2 ...

(AAA), and

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

radio. The song charted at No. 32 on the

Adult Top 40 The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems ...

chart of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' magazine. In 2004 Smith appeared at the

Cambridge Folk Festival The Cambridge Folk Festival is an annual music festival, established in 1965, held on the site of Cherry Hinton Hall in Cherry Hinton, one of the villages subsumed by the city of Cambridge, England. The festival is known for its eclectic mix of ...

in the U.K., which was broadcast nationally on

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...

. In October 2006, Smith released "Out Loud", the first single from her second album ''

Long Island Shores ''Long Island Shores'' is the second album by American singer-songwriter Mindy Smith, released in 2006. Produced by Mindy Smith, Lex Price and Steve Buckingham, the album was recorded at Omnisound Studios, The Doghouse, Studio 491 and Beat Hollow ...

''. The song was well received by AAA rock radio and Country Music Television ( CMT). On January 10, 2007, she performed "Please Stay" on ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...

''. In October 2007, Smith released a Christmas album, ''

My Holiday ''My Holiday'' is the third album by American singer-songwriter Mindy Smith, released in 2007. This is Smith's first holiday (Christmas) record. Track listing #"My Holiday" - 3:43 (Smith) #"The Christmas Song" - 3:48 ( Mel Tormé, Bob Wells) # ...

''. She wrote six original songs, including "I Know the Reason" with

Thad Cockrell Thad Aaron Cockrell is an American singer-songwriter. He has released five solo albums, along with a collaborative album with Caitlin Cary and two albums with LEAGUES. Cockrell often writes emotional songs with the intent of inclusion. Early lif ...

. In August 2009, Smith released her fourth studio album, '' Stupid Love''. She appeared on ''

The Early Show ''The Early Show'' is an American morning television show that aired on CBS from November 1, 1999 to January 7, 2012, and the ninth attempt at a morning news-talk program by the network since 1954. The program aired Monday through Friday from ...

'' on August 15, 2009, to perform the first single, "Highs and Lows". On September 29, 2009, while promoting the album on the syndicated radio show '' World Cafe'', she disclosed that she had

obsessive–compulsive disorder Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental and behavioral disorder in which an individual has intrusive thoughts and/or feels the need to perform certain routines repeatedly to the extent where it induces distress or impairs general ...

. In June 2012, Smith released an independent studio album, ''

Mindy Smith Melinda Leigh Smith (born June 1, 1972, Long Island, New York) is an American singer-songwriter. Her first record deal came after she sang a cover version of the song "Jolene (song), Jolene" by Dolly Parton. Music career Smith was adopted at bi ...

'' on her own Giant Leap label in conjunction with TVX. In October of the same year Vanguard Records released a compilation album of her songs entitled "The Essential Mindy Smith". On October 29, 2013, Smith released a Christmas EP entitled ''Snowed In'' on the Giant Leap/TVX label. This release contained original material and covers of

Christmas songs Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject m ...

Charity

In March 2013, Smith worked with

Anthropologie Anthropologie is an American clothing retailer with approximately 200 stores across the U.S., Canada, and the UK that offers an assortment of clothing, jewelry, home furniture, decoration, beauty products, and gifts. Anthropologie is part of ...

during an in-store performance to raise money and awareness for the Captain Planet Foundation, a non-profit organization. Anthropologie donated fifteen percent of sales made in the first hour after Smith's performance to CPF.

Awards and honors

* Best New/Emerging Artist of the Year,

Americana Music Association The Americana Music Association is a not-for-profit trade organization advocating for American Roots Music around the world. It is a network for Americana artists, radio stations, record labels, publishers, and others with the goal of developi ...

, 2004

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations

Extended plays

Singles

Music videos

Special appearances

*'' Just Because I'm a Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton'' (2003) - Track: "Jolene" * '' Sweetheart 2005: Love Songs'' (2005) - Track: "

A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" is a British romantic popular song written in 1939 and published in 1940, with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by Manning Sherwin. Setting Berkeley Square is a large leafy square in Mayfair, a part ...

" * ''

This Bird Has Flown – A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul ''This Bird Has Flown – A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul'' is a tribute album by a variety of artists that commemorates the 40th anniversary of the release of the Beatles' 1965 album ''Rubber Soul''. It was released on Octo ...

'' (2005) - Track: "The Word" * '' Stronger Than Before'' by

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

(2005) - Track: "Phenomenal Woman" * ''

Those Were The Days Those Were the Days may refer to: Music Albums * ''Those Were the Days'' (Johnny Mathis album) (1968) * ''Those Were the Days'' (Cream album) (1997) * ''Those Were the Days'' (Dolly Parton album) (2005) * '' Those Were the Days – The Best of L ...

'' by

(2005) - Track: "The Cruel War"

References

External links

*
CMT Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Mindy 1972 births American bluegrass musicians American country singer-songwriters American women country singers American folk singers American performers of Christian music Living people People with obsessive–compulsive disorder Singer-songwriters from New York (state) 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Country musicians from New York (state)