Connie Smith

Connie Smith (born Constance June Meador on August 14, 1941) is an American country music singer and songwriter who has balanced a prominent secular career with a deep commitment to gospel music. Discovered in 1963, she signed with RCA Victor Records in 1964 and her debut single, "Once a Day," reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart that same year. She became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1965. Smith became a born-again Christian in 1968. Following her conversion, she began to emphasize religious material in her recordings and stage shows. In the early 1970s, she transitioned to Columbia Records to record more gospel music. Her catalog of sacred recordings includes the album *Connie Smith Sings Great Sacred Songs* (1966) and *Connie Smith Sings Hank Williams Gospel* (1975). She also recorded the song "At the Foot of the Cross." In 2003, she collaborated with Barbara Fairchild and Sharon White on the album *Love Never Fails*. Her dedication to gospel music was recognized when she won the Music City News Gospel Act of the Year award in 1979. Smith was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012.