Larry Michael Smith was born on October 3,1939, and lived in several small towns in Kansas before moving to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

in 1958. Smith first appeared on

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

in 1960 with a

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...

backbeat song, "Sara Ruth" which was written as a joke for a high school friend. The other side of the record, "Week of Loneliness," had a limited success in the

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...

of California and in his adopted home town of Stockton, it was number one. In April, 1959, ''

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'' chose the record as a Billboard Pick. In 1962, Smith had a release on

Era Records Era Records was an independent American record label located in Hollywood, California. History Era Records was founded by Herb Newman and Lou Bedell in March 1955 as a popular music, pop and rhythm and blues outlet. The label later expanded into ...

of "By the Time You Read This Letter" b/w "That's What I'd Do", which were recorded in the Gold Star Studios of Hollywood, the inventors of flanging and phasing. Two originals were self-produced at the Oro Records studio in

Modesto Modesto ( ; ) is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,069 according to 2022 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it is the 19th-most populous city in California. Modesto is locate ...

, California: "The Meaning of Love" b/w "Pretty Little Baby" with vocal backing by The Terrys, a four girl group from Stockton, California. Smith had independent releases on the label Orchid of Memphis, owned by Prewitt Rose: "Pictures" b/w "Lightin' Up Behind The Barn", recording as Smith and Morales, session at Gardnerville, NV; "Love Of An Everyday Man" b/w "Country Rock and Roll" as Carson Smith, co-written with Prewitt Rose, session in Lexington, Kentucky. On his own label Smith recorded "Arkansas River" b/w "Son of the Other Gun" with Terry Mort, drums, and Bob Bales, bass, session Tulsa, Oklahoma. Smith pursued writing and performing and any opportunity to record. In 1980 one of his compositions, "We Have So Much To Give", was the California State Theme Song for The Council on Aging. During Smith's career he was managed by Abe Olman, Fred Stryker and Prewitt Rose. Smith now lives in Coffeyville, Kansas and continues to write and record.

References

1939 births Living people Decca Records artists Era Records artists American male singer-songwriters {{US-singer-songwriter-stub