Connie Smith

Connie Smith (born Constance June Meador; August 14, 1941) is an American country music artist. Active since 1964, Smith is widely considered to be one of the genre's best female vocalists. She has earned eleven Grammy award nominations, twenty top ten Billboard country singles, and thirty one charting albums, three of which have hit number one. On October 21, 2012, Smith became the twelfth solo female vocalist and nineteenth woman to be elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Despite her success, Smith is often considered among the most underrated vocalists in country music history due to the decision not to pursue super stardom with the non-country general media market like such contemporaries as Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Tammy Wynette . Artists such as Parton, George Jones, and Chely Wright have cited Smith as either one of the best vocalists in the music industry or their favorite female artist.