In 1961, country music legend Ernest Tubb heard Cal Smith’s band and immediately hired Smith to play guitar and front his Texas Troubadours.
In 1966 Smith’s name began to catch on after he released his second solo single “I’ll Just Go Home He first cracked the Billboard Charts with his song “The Only Thing I Want.”
In 1968, he reached the Top 40 on the country music charts with his song “Drinking Champagne.” 1969 saw the release of Smith’s first solo album, Drinking Champagne.
In 1972, Smith scored a Top 10 hit with “I’ve Found Someone Of My Own.”
“The Lord Knows I’m Drinking” became Smith’s first #1 hit in March of 1973. 1974 brought him his biggest career successes when he recorded two of his greatest hits, “It’s Time to Pay the Fiddler” and “Country Bumpkin,” which received Song of the Year Awards from both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association.
Cal joined First Generation Records in 1984. With Pete Drake, he recorded the album Cal Smith and re-recorded all of his hits. Later he went into the studio and did a voiceover with the legendary Ernest Tubb, his long-time friend and bossman, entitled Together. These duets are also available on First Generation Records through Creative and Dreams Music Network.
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