A Villager who worked hard to become a country star while she was still a young mother has died after suffering a stroke.
Margo Smith, 84, who became known as the Tennessee Yodeler, died Jan. 23 in Nashville, Tenn.
She had lived in the Village of Chatham with her husband, Richard Cammeron. They attended Fairway Christian Church in The Villages.
Smith’s daughter Holly, of Franklin, Tenn., followed in her famous mother’s footsteps as a singer, but is better known as the model and spokesperson in television commercials for Lexus of Orlando.
Here’s a clip of Smith with daughter, Holly:
Smith broke through the national country charts during the 1970s with a couple of No. 1 hits: “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You” and “It Only Hurts for a Little While.” Later in the ‘70s, she had a couple of Top 10 hits, “Take My Breath Away,” “Still A Woman” and “Little Things Mean a Lot.” One of her trademark songs is, “He Taught Me To Yodel,” and that’s why she was called, the Tennessee Yodeler.
She has been inducted as a member of the International Country Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame and has also earned a Canadian Country Music Association Living Legend Award.
Smith was involved in a near-fatal accident in 2014 when a teenage driver ran a red light and hit her car. She would have not survived if she didn’t have a seatbelt on, police said. Smith suffered multiple serious injuries in the accident, but made a comeback to sing on stage about a year later.
A celebration of life for Smith will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2 at Harpeth Christian Church in Frankin, Tenn.
