O. C. Smith
b. Ocie Lee Smith, 21 June 1932, Mansfield, Los Angeles, USA. O.C. Smith was raised in Los Angeles, where he began singing jazz and standards in clubs at the end of the '40s. After serving five years in the US Air Force, he signed with Cadence Records in 1956, enjoying some success the following year with the sophisticated Lighthouse. He remained predominantly a club performer until 1961, when he replaced Joe Williams in the Count BasieBand. He resumed his solo career in 1963, finally attaining a commercial breakthrough in 1968 with Dallas Frazier's unusual story-song, The Son Of Hickory Holler's Tramp, a major hit in Britain. In the States, this record was overshadowed by his rendition of Bobby Russell's Little Green Apples, which outsold a rival hit version by Roger Miller, though it lost out to a home-grown release by Leapy Lee in Britain. Daddy's Little Man in 1969 provided O.C. Smith's final taste of US Top 40 success, though the soul-flavoured La La Peace Song proved popular in 1974, and Together was an unexpected chart entry in 1977. During the decade in which he was most successful, Smith issued a series of impressive albums, which showcased his fluent, soulful vocal style.