Mindy Smith
Mindy Smith | |
|---|---|
 Mindy Smith performing in 2005 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | June 1, 1972 Long Island, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Folk, pop, country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Vanguard |
| Website | www |
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" by Dolly Parton.
Music career
[edit]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, New York. After her mother died of cancer in 1991, Smith attended Cincinnati Bible College for two years.[1]
Smith and her father moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where she began listening to folk and bluegrass music, Alison Krauss, and the Cox Family. In 1998, she moved to Nashville to pursue a career in music. Two years later, she reached the finals of a contest at the Kerrville Folk Festival. This led to a contract with Big Yellow Dog Music.[2]
Smith attracted attention in 2003 when she sang a cover version of "Jolene" by Dolly Parton for the tribute album Just Because I'm a Woman. Soon after, she signed a contract with Vanguard Records, who released her debut album, One Moment More in 2004.[2] In addition to Dolly Parton, she has expressed admiration for John Prine, Alison Krauss, Patty Griffin, Shania Twain, Kris Kristofferson, Buddy Miller, and Bill Gaither.[1]
"Come to Jesus" was her biggest hit, receiving airplay on country, Christian, adult album alternative (AAA), and adult contemporary radio. The song charted at No. 32 on the Adult Top 40 chart of Billboard magazine.[citation needed] In 2004 Smith appeared at the Cambridge Folk Festival in the U.K., which was broadcast nationally on BBC Radio.
In October 2006, Smith released "Out Loud", the first single from her second album Long Island Shores. 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.
In October 2007, Smith released a Christmas album, My Holiday. She wrote six original songs, including "I Know the Reason" with Thad Cockrell.[3]
In August 2009, Smith released her fourth studio album, Stupid Love. She appeared on The Early Show 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.[4]
In June 2012, Smith released an eponymous independent studio album 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, "The Essential Mindy Smith".
On October 29, 2013, Smith released a holiday EP entitled Snowed In on Giant Leap/TVX. The release contained both original Christmas songs and cover material.
Between 2015 and 2018, Smith contributed (as sole writer or co-writer) several songs to the musical television drama series Nashville. She is credited on four of the songs performed by cast members and appearing on the soundtrack in the series' final three seasons.
Charity
[edit]In March 2013, Smith worked with Anthropologie 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.[5]
Awards and honors
[edit]- Best New/Emerging Artist of the Year, Americana Music Association, 2004
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [6] |
US Heat [7] |
US Indie [8] |
US Rock [9] |
US Folk [10] | ||
| One Moment More |
|
143 | 2 | 6 | — | — |
| Long Island Shores |
|
167 | 6 | 15 | — | — |
| My Holiday |
|
— | 8 | — | — | — |
| Stupid Love |
|
122 | 1 | — | 45 | — |
| Mindy Smith |
|
— | 17 | — | — | 15 |
| Quiet Town |
|
— | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||
Compilations
[edit]| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The Essential Mindy Smith |
|
Extended plays
[edit]| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Snowed In |
|
Singles
[edit]| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Adult [13] |
US Country Airplay | |||
| 2003 | "Jolene" (with Dolly Parton) | — | — | One Moment More |
| 2004 | "Come to Jesus" | 32 | — | |
| "One Moment More" | — | — | ||
| 2006 | "Out Loud" | — | — | Long Island Shores |
| 2007 | "Please Stay" | — | — | |
| 2009 | "Highs and Lows" | — | — | Stupid Love |
| 2012 | "Closer" | — | — | Mindy Smith |
| 2018 | "Better Boat" (with Kenny Chesney) | — | 25 | Songs for the Saints |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Music videos
[edit]| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "Jolene" | Trey Fanjoy |
| 2004 | "Come to Jesus" | Sophie Muller |
| 2005 | "One Moment More" | |
| 2006 | "Out Loud" | Traci Goudie |
| 2011 | "Taking You with Me" (with Daniel Tashian) | |
| 2012 | "Closer" | Fairlight Hubbard/Ryan Hamblin |
| 2013 | "Anymore of This" (with Matthew Perryman Jones)[14] | Fairlight Hubbard |
| 2015 | "On Top of the World" | |
| 2021 | "Cure for Love" |
Special appearances
[edit]- 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"
- This Bird Has Flown – A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul (2005) - Track: "The Word"
- Stronger Than Before by Olivia Newton-John (2005) - Track: "Phenomenal Woman"
- Those Were The Days by Dolly Parton (2005) - Track: "The Cruel War"
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Mindy Smith - On the inside". No Depression. 31 October 2006. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ^ a b Deming, Mark. "Mindy Smith | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ^ Gilstrap, Andrew. "Mindy Smith: My Holiday". Popmatters. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
- ^ "Mindy Smith: A Chanteuse's Emotional Return". NPR. September 29, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
- ^ "Mindy Smith joins forces with lifestyle brand Anthropologie and Captain Planet". Mindy Smith. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
- ^ "Mindy Smith Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
- ^ "Mindy Smith Album & Song Chart History - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
- ^ "Mindy Smith Album & Song Chart History - Independent Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
- ^ "Mindy Smith Album & Song Chart History - Rock Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/artist/mindy-smith/chart-history/flk/
- ^ Betts, Stephen L. (June 14, 2012). "Mindy Smith Album Due June 26, 'Closer' Tour to Follow". The Boot. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
- ^ https://store.compassrecords.com/collections/mindy-smith/products/quiet-town
- ^ "Mindy Smith Album & Song Chart History - Adult Pop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Mindy Smith : Anymore of This". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on February 28, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 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 singer-songwriters
- 21st-century American women singers
- Country musicians from New York (state)