Kate Smith, The Songbird of the South with Her Swanee Music -- Shine On, Harvest Moon (Bayes, Norworth) Velvet Tone 1931 (USA)rnrnNOTE: Kath...
Kate Smith, The Songbird of the South with Her Swanee Music -- Shine On, Harvest Moon (Bayes, Norworth) Velvet Tone 1931 (USA)rnrnNOTE: Kathryn Elizabeth ("Kate") SMITH was born May 1, 1907, in Greenville, Virginia. She began recording in 1926, but her professional career began in 1930, when she was discovered by Columbia Records vice president Ted Collins, who became her longtime partner and manager. Collins put her on radio in 1931, after Kate Smith's success on Broadway in vaudeville, "The Songbird of the South". She sang the controversial top twenty song of 1931, "That's Why Darkies Were Born". Her feature film Hello, Everybody (1932) was released shortly before Mae West's She Done Him Wrong (1933). At this time, Paramount Pictures was in deep financial trouble. Paramount initially promoted Smith's film but it proved to be disappointing at the box office. This situation added to the ridicule of Smith's size and appearance, yet she continued to be successful on radio. During the 1930s and thru 1940s she became radio's number one attraction, due not only to her evening show, but also to her appearances on Kate Smith Speaks, a popular weekday show where she offered homespun advice on current topics. She was described by Time as "The First Lady of Radio." In 1938, she introduced Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" to the country, and it became known as her song. Smith made over 2,000 recordings—19 of which sold over a million copies. During WWII, her on-air appeals for war bonds topped $600 million. Her biggest hits were "River, Stay 'Way From My Door" (1931), "The Woodpecker Song" (1940), "The White Cliffs of Dover" (1941), "Rose O'Day" (1941), "I Don't Want to Walk Without You" (1942), "There Goes That Song Again" (1944), "Seems Like Old Times" (1946), and "Now Is the Hour" (1947). Her theme song was "When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain"; she had helped write the lyrics. Smith greeted her audience with "Hello, everybody!" and signed off with "Thanks for listenin'." Kate Smith died on June 17, 1986. Less
