Photo: National Photo Company Collection (Library of Congress) / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Kate Smith is one of those rare performers whose voice felt like a public utility during hard times. The First Lady of Radio earned that title not through glamour but through a contralto that could steady a nation, and her ownership of "God Bless America" became a piece of American identity itself. What strikes me most is the arc: a Virginia girl who built a career on warmth and reliability, eventually receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1982. Her legacy is complicated by later reappraisals, but the sheer comfort her singing offered to millions is undeniable. I admire artists who are loved for substance over spectacle, and Smith was exactly that.
Overview
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.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Kate Smith
- Name (Japanese)
- ケイト・スミス
- Reading
- けいと・すみす
- Born
- May 1, 1907 – June 17, 1986
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Goat
- Origin
- Greenville, Virginia, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- writer / singer / autobiographer / television actor / radio personality
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Theodore Roosevelt High School
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1982 Presidential Medal of Freedom
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Writer — see all → · Singer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.