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Biography |
Mindy Smith was born in Long Island, New York in 1974.
Adopted at birth by a local minister, her earliest and most
enduring musical role model was her adopted mother, Sharron,
the church’s choir director. "She had the most beautiful
voice I’ve ever heard," Mindy recalls. "She had the ability
to touch people, to move mountains with her voice. If I
learned anything from her, it’s to put all of your emotion
into your performance. That’s what music is for.”
Sadly, Sharron died of cancer when Mindy was just 19.
Although her mother’s death left Mindy emotionally
distraught, it also prompted her to pursue her musical
ambitions with renewed vigor. By now living in Knoxville,
Tennessee, Mindy began showcasing herself as an aspiring
singer and songwriter. “I started playing at a place called
Manhattan’s in an area of Knoxville known as the Old City,”
she says. “Those were really my first gigs, and I didn’t
even play guitar at the time, I just sang a cappella.”
Luckily, she learned how to play the guitar soon enough, and
after hundreds of open-mic gigs, Mindy decided to pack her
bags and head to Nashville, Tennessee in 1998. The
transition wasn’t always easy, as she struggled to support
herself with a succession of low-paying jobs, but Mindy
persevered and eventually began to land spots on some of the
city’s biggest showcases. Mindy’s burgeoning talent also
caught the eye of Big Yellow Dog Music, an independent label
that presented her with the golden opportunity to record a
series of demos.
"I finally had the chance to record my songs and my voice
the way I wanted to, and all of a sudden everything changed
for me," she recalls. "I just needed the chance to do my
best songs the way I wanted. As soon as I did that, things
started happening."
Within a matter of months, Mindy became a virtual force on
the Nashville scene. She won the Tin Pan South Open Mic
Contest in 2000 and she was a finalist in the Kerrville Folk
Festival's New Folk Competition. She also was selected in
2003 to perform on Just Because I'm a Woman: The Songs of
Dolly Parton. The televised tribute concert and accompanying
album also featured A-list talent like Emmylou Harris, Norah
Jones, and Dolly Parton herself. In fact, Parton was so
impressed by Mindy’s cover of her tearjerker “Jolene” that
she suggested the pair record it as a duet.
Just when it seemed as though things couldn’t get any
better, Mindy was signed to her first major contract later
that year by Vanguard Records. The label’s active support
allowed Mindy to take time away from touring to work on her
debut album, One Moment More. Released on January 27, 2004,
the critically acclaimed 12-track disc peaked at the No. 2
spot on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers, thanks in part to
hit-singles like “Jolene,” “Come to Jesus” and “One Moment
More,” The album’s immense success also netted Mindy a
coveted Best New/Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2004
Americana Awards. "I am completely overjoyed with my
record,” she says. “I’m very proud of it. It’s me."
Mindy’s second album is Long Island Shores. Released on
October 10, 2006, the 12-song disc is a tribute to her
girlhood home. “No one’s done a song about how beautiful
Long Island is,” she says. “So many of us who live there are
so unspoken for.” |
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