Farewell, Sammi Smith

I was sad to read that 70s country star Sammi Smith died last week.  She was only 61.  Sammi was singing professionally at clubs in southern California when she was only 12 years old, and was married three years later (just like country mega star Loretta Lynn). 

I'm sure her name is foreign to most of my faithful readers.  But she was a trendsetter, and was considered part of Waylon and Willie's outlaw movement of the early 70s.  She pushed the envelope and recorded songs other women [and some men] singers thought were too controversial.  The biggest hit of her career is was a song written by Kris Kristofferson, "Help Me Make It Through The Night."   It won her a Grammy Award for best country performance by a female, and won the Grammy for Kristofferson for song of the year.  It will forever be on my list of top ten country songs of all time.  You heard such an emotion and feeling in her voice when she sang this song - something that you don't hear it many singers today;  Trisha Yearwood, Linda Ronstadt and the late Patsy Cline are the only ones that come to mind. When Sammi sang "I don't want to be alone, help me make it through the night" you felt her pain. 

We'll miss you, Sammi.  But you definitely left a legacy in country music.

 

Take the ribbon from my hair
Shake it loose and let it fall
Layin' soft against your skin
Like the shadow on the wall

Come and lay down by ma side
Till the early mornin' light
All I'm takin' is your time
Help me make it through the night

I don't care what's right or wrong
'n' I won't try to understand
Let the devil take tomorrow
Lord, tonight I need a friend

Yesterday is dead and gone
And tomorrow's out of sight
And it's sad to be alone
Help me make it through the night

And it's sad to be alone
Help me make it through the night

I don't want to be alone
Help me make it through the night