Kate Smith
American singer (1907-1986) · United States · On the map · Musicians · Died at 79
Kathryn Elizabeth Smith was an American contralto. Referred to as The First Lady of Radio, Smith became well known for her renditions of "God Bless America" and "When the Moon Comes over the Mountain". She began to use the descriptor The Songbird of the South in the late 1920s, while performing on the stage.
Kate Smith is read about 220 times a day, in 23 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 6 November 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 104 days, one point a day.
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Dean Martin Duets: Maybe and Goodnight Sweetheart
Dick Haymes Duets: Maybe and Goodnight Sweetheart
Bing Crosby Duets: Goodnight Sweetheart (1931)
Ella Fitzgerald Duets: Maybe (1930)
Connie Francis Duets: Mother Machree
Michael Curtiz Directed This Is the Army (1943)
Perry Como Duets: Maybe (1930)
Hal B. Wallis Produced This Is the Army (1943)
Jack L. Warner Produced This Is the Army (1943)
Ruth Etting Duets: Goodnight Sweetheart (1931)
Joni James Duets: Mother Machree
William A. Seiter Directed Hello, Everybody! (1933)
Don Costa Duets: Mother Machree
Nathaniel Shilkret Duets: Mother Machree
Russ Columbo Duets: Goodnight Sweetheart (1931)
Dennis Day Duets: Mother Machree
Bunny Berigan Duets: Maybe (1930)
Doc Cheatham Duets: Maybe (1930)- George Morgan Duets: Mother Machree
Richard Crooks Duets: Mother Machree
Chauncey Olcott Duets: Mother Machree
Morton Downey Duets: Mother Machree
Charles Hackett Duets: Mother Machree
Charles W. Harrison Duets: Mother Machree
Also in Deutsch
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About this person
This term was also used by other southern vocalists of that era; however, as the Washington D.C. Sunday Star noted, Smith was not really southern - born in Virginia, she had spent nearly all of her life in the D.C. area. But as Smith became nationally known, she became more identified with the term. By early 1929, she was being referred to that way on a regular basis: a version of the term, using "from" rather than "of," was seen in newspaper advertisements that promoted her stage performances. "Songbird of the South" was used when she appeared on the NBC Radio Network in April. Then, in the summer of that year, she starred in a Vitaphone short feature titled "Songbird of the South," in which she sang two of her hit songs, "Bless You Sister" and "Carolina Moon."
