Kate Smith
Kathryn Elizabeth Smith (May 1, 1907 – June 17, 1986) 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. 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 entitled "Songbird of the South," in which she sang two of her hit songs,"Bless You Sister" and "Carolina Moon." |
Birth and Death Data: Born Greenville (census-designated place in Augusta County, Virginia, United States), Died June 17, 1986 (Raleigh (city in and state capital of North Carolina, United States of America) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1926 - 1939
Roles Represented in DAHR: soprano vocal, songwriter, lyricist, vocalist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 105 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BVE-36396 | 10-in. | 10/7/1926 | White house | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BVE-36397 | 10-in. | 10/7/1926 | Mary dear | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BVE-36398 | 10-in. | 10/7/1926 | Jersey walk | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BRC-68271 | 10-in. | 7/21/1931 | When the moon comes over the mountain | Milton Charles | Male vocal solo, with piano | songwriter | |
| Victor | BRC-69970 | 10-in. | 6/23/1931 | Makin' faces at the man in the moon | Connecticut Yankees ; Rudy Vallée | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and whistling solo | lyricist | |
| Victor | BRC-69990 | 10-in. | 6/30/1931 | When the moon comes over the mountain | Ben W. Gordon ; Leo Reisman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BRC-70201 | 10-in. | 7/21/1931 | When the moon comes over the mountain | Bud Billings ; Carson Robison | Male vocal duet, with instrumental quartet | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-017776 | 10-in. | 12/28/1937 | When the moon comes over the mountain | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with male vocal ensemble and jazz/dance band | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BS-017777 | 10-in. | 12/28/1937 | There's a gold mine in the sky | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo and vocal ensemble, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BS-017778 | 10-in. | 12/28/1937 | You're a sweetheart | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BS-017779 | 10-in. | 12/28/1937 | Bei mir bist du schön | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BS-035319 | 10-in. | 3/21/1939 | God bless America | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with mixed vocal chorus and orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BS-035320 | 10-in. | 3/21/1939 | The star spangled banner | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with mixed vocal chorus and orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BS-035321 | 10-in. | 3/21/1939 | It's never too late | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BS-035322 | 10-in. | 3/21/1939 | I cried for you | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BS-035753 | 10-in. | 4/17/1939 | Don't worry 'bout me | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BS-035754 | 10-in. | 4/17/1939 | If I had my way | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BS-035755 | 10-in. | 4/17/1939 | And the angels sing | Jack Miller ; Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BS-035756 | 10-in. | 4/17/1939 | If I didn't care | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BRC-Test-1118 | 10-in. | 7/1/1931 | I'm thru with love | Frances Langford | Female vocal solo, with piano | lyricist | |
| Victor | [Trial 1926-09-16-01] | 10-in. | 9/16/1926 | Mary dear | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | [Trial 1926-09-16-02] | 10-in. | 9/16/1926 | White house | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | [Trial 1926-09-16-03] | 10-in. | 9/16/1926 | Jersey walk | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Columbia | W142884 | 10-in. | 10/28/1926 | The little white house | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Columbia | W142885 | 10-in. | 10/28/1926 | Mary dear | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, soprano vocal |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Smith, Kate," accessed January 3, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104568.
Smith, Kate. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 3, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104568.
"Smith, Kate." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 3 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Smith, Kate, 1907-1986 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n84077391
Wikidata: Kate Smith - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q297442
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/22948116
MusicBrainz: Kate Smith - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/3c01533e-e82c-41c7-96f4-6a6fa6e05e82
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/131360 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/131360
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.
