41 Facts About Margo Smith

Margo Smith had several years of country success during the 1970s, which included two number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Margo Smith is known for her yodeling vocal skills and is often referred to as "The Tennessee Yodeler".

For nearly a decade Margo Smith taught elementary school and started a family with her first husband.

In 1979, Margo Smith released the single "Still a Woman" and made significant changes to her musical persona.

Margo Smith released music independently during the 1980s while issuing albums through major labels.

In later years, Margo Smith continued performing as a solo act at her residence in Florida.

Margo Smith was born Betty Lou Miller in Dayton, Ohio, on April 9,1939.

For most of her career, Margo Smith told the press that she was born in 1942, however it was later confirmed she was born in 1939.

Margo Smith was raised on a farm outside the Dayton city limits.

Margo Smith had been interested in performing since childhood, especially after watching country singers on the local television show, Midwestern Hayride.

Margo Smith graduated from Wittenberg University with a major in elementary education.

Margo Smith then returned to kindergarten by the early 1970s.

Margo Smith often wrote songs that would be embedded into her lessons.

Under her married name, Bette Margo Smith, she began singing at PTA meetings and on local radio broadcasts.

Margo Smith's performances developed a local following and she eventually recorded a demo record.

Margo Smith took several graduate courses and painted landscapes during her free time.

Margo Smith was left without a record label by the end of 1975.

In 1977, Margo Smith's self-penned single, "Take My Breath Away," reached number seven on the Billboard chart.

In 1979, Margo Smith felt her music lacked an identity of its own.

Margo Smith's cover of "If I Give My Heart to You" would reach the top ten of the Billboard country chart in 1979.

Margo Smith began incorporating a new concert style that included "increasingly flashy" stage shows, according to Kurt Wolff.

Margo Smith received more concert work, opening for larger country acts with her band Night Flight.

Margo Smith continued the same image with her next album release titled Just Margo.

The album's cover featured Margo Smith wearing just a satin robe.

Margo Smith transitioned into 1980 with the album Diamonds and Chills, whose album cover displayed Smith with a "plunging neckline," according to Wolff.

Margo Smith returned to a more traditional musical image and went on to call her former "sexy" musical persona a mistake.

In 1987, Margo Smith released her next studio record titled The Best Yet.

Margo Smith followed in 1989 with her second Cammeron label release, Back in the Swing.

In later years, Margo Smith continued performing while venturing into other projects.

Margo Smith started selling a tape on her official website that taught singers how to yodel.

Margo Smith mentored performers who wanted to learn the skill, including Taylor Ware, who appeared on a season of America's Got Talent.

Margo Smith continued to perform in The Villages, Florida, where Smith lived year-round.

Margo Smith's image has been a subject of discussion among writers.

Authors of music publications have pointed out that Margo Smith's music helped provide an outlet for middle-aged women attempting to rekindle romantic relationships.

In 1982, Margo Smith wed business professional Richard Cammeron, who would become her career manager.

Margo Smith suffered a shattered wrist, broken ankle, and multiple bruises.

Margo Smith spent three months at a local rehabilitation center and made a full recovery and was expected to return to performing in December 2014.

In June 2016, Margo Smith was hospitalized with double pneumonia, among other health concerns.

Margo Smith was sent to the intensive care unit where she remained until her health improved.

Margo Smith later made a full-recovery and began performing in the fall of 2016.

Margo Smith died on January 23,2024, in Franklin, Tennessee, at the age of 84, from complications of a stroke she suffered two days earlier.