# Mindy Smith

Melinda Leigh Smith (born June 1, 1972, Long Island, New York) is an American singer-songwriter. Her first record deal came after she sang a cover version of the song "Jolene" by Dolly Parton.

## Music career

Smith was adopted at birth by a non-denominational Protestant minister and his wife, who was choir director at the church. She grew up on Long Island, New York. After her mother died of cancer in 1991, Smith attended Cincinnati Bible College for two years.
Smith and her father moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where she began listening to folk and bluegrass music, Alison Krauss, and the Cox Family. In 1998, she moved to Nashville to pursue a career in music. Two years later, she reached the finals of a contest at the Kerrville Folk Festival. This led to a contract with Big Yellow Dog Music.
Smith attracted attention in 2003 when she sang a cover version of "Jolene" by Dolly Parton for the tribute album Just Because I'm a Woman. Soon after, she signed a contract with Vanguard Records, who released her debut album, One Moment More in 2004. In addition to Dolly Parton, she has expressed admiration for John Prine, Alison Krauss, Patty Griffin, Shania Twain, Kris Kristofferson, Buddy Miller, and Bill Gaither.
"Come to Jesus" was her biggest hit, receiving airplay on country, Christian, adult album alternative (AAA), and adult contemporary radio. The song charted at No. 32 on the Adult Top 40 chart of Billboard magazine. In 2004 Smith appeared at the Cambridge Folk Festival in the U.K., which was broadcast nationally on BBC Radio.
In October 2006, Smith released "Out Loud", the first single from her second album Long Island Shores. The song was well received by AAA rock radio and Country Music Television (CMT). On January 10, 2007, she performed "Please Stay" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
In October 2007, Smith released a Christmas album, My Holiday. She wrote six original songs, including "I Know the Reason" with Thad Cockrell.
In August 2009, Smith released her fourth studio album, Stupid Love. She appeared on The Early Show on August 15, 2009, to perform the first single, "Highs and Lows". On September 29, 2009, while promoting the album on the syndicated radio show World Cafe, she disclosed that she had obsessive–compulsive disorder.
In June 2012, Smith released an eponymous independent studio album on her own Giant Leap label, in conjunction with TVX. In October of the same year, Vanguard Records released a compilation album of her songs, "The Essential Mindy Smith".
On October 29, 2013, Smith released a holiday EP entitled Snowed In on Giant Leap/TVX. The release contained both original Christmas songs and cover material.
Between 2015 and 2018, Smith contributed (as sole writer or co-writer) several songs to the musical television drama series Nashville. She is credited on four of the songs performed by cast members and appearing on the soundtrack in the series' final three seasons.

## Charity

In March 2013, Smith worked with Anthropologie during an in-store performance to raise money and awareness for the Captain Planet Foundation, a non-profit organization. Anthropologie donated fifteen percent of sales made in the first hour after Smith's performance to CPF.

## Awards and honors

* Best New/Emerging Artist of the Year, Americana Music Association, 2004

## Discography
### Studio albums

| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | US | US Heat | US Indie | US Rock | US Folk |
| One Moment More | Release date: January 27, 2004 Label: Vanguard Formats: CD, Vinyl, music download | 143 | 2 | 6 | — | — |
| Long Island Shores | Release date: October 10, 2006 Label: Vanguard Formats: CD, music download | 167 | 6 | 15 | — | — |
| My Holiday | Release date: October 9, 2007 Label: Vanguard Formats: CD, music download | — | 8 | — | — | — |
| Stupid Love | Release date: August 11, 2009 Label: Vanguard Formats: CD, Vinyl, music download | 122 | 1 | — | 45 | — |
| Mindy Smith | Release date: June 26, 2012 Label: Giant Leap/TVX Formats: CD, music download | — | 17 | — | — | 15 |
| Quiet Town | Release date: October 4, 2024 Label: Compass Formats: CD, Vinyl, music download | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart |||||||

### Compilations

| Title | Album details |
| The Essential Mindy Smith | Released: October 9, 2012 Label: Vanguard Formats: CD, Vinyl, music download |

### Extended plays

| Title | Album details |
| Snowed In | Released: October 29, 2013 Label: Giant Leap/TVX Formats: CD, music download |

### Singles

| Year | Single | Peak positions | Peak positions | Album |
| Year | Single | US Adult | US Country Airplay | Album |
| 2003 | "Jolene" (with Dolly Parton) | — | — | One Moment More |
| 2004 | "Come to Jesus" | 32 | — | One Moment More |
| 2004 | "One Moment More" | — | — | One Moment More |
| 2006 | "Out Loud" | — | — | Long Island Shores |
| 2007 | "Please Stay" | — | — | Long Island Shores |
| 2009 | "Highs and Lows" | — | — | Stupid Love |
| 2012 | "Closer" | — | — | Mindy Smith |
| 2018 | "Better Boat" (with Kenny Chesney) | — | 25 | Songs for the Saints |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart |||||

### Music videos

| Year | Video | Director |
| 2003 | "Jolene" | Trey Fanjoy |
| 2004 | "Come to Jesus" | Sophie Muller |
| 2005 | "One Moment More" | Sophie Muller |
| 2006 | "Out Loud" | Traci Goudie |
| 2011 | "Taking You with Me" (with Daniel Tashian) | Traci Goudie |
| 2012 | "Closer" | Fairlight Hubbard/Ryan Hamblin |
| 2013 | "Anymore of This" (with Matthew Perryman Jones) | Fairlight Hubbard |
| 2015 | "On Top of the World" |
| 2021 | "Cure for Love" |

## Special appearances

* Just Because I'm a Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton (2003) - Track: "Jolene"
* Sweetheart 2005: Love Songs (2005) - Track: "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square"
* This Bird Has Flown – A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul (2005) - Track: "The Word"
* Stronger Than Before by Olivia Newton-John (2005) - Track: "Phenomenal Woman"
* Those Were The Days by Dolly Parton (2005) - Track: "The Cruel War"