LARRY A. SMITH

Songwriter History & Bio

Larry Smith was born in Van Wert, in Northwest Ohio on Dec 9.1952

From the time he was a small child he had always been around music.

His father and mother owned a small restaurant and they always sat him by the jukebox

where they said he would love to listen to the hits of the day.  Everything from country,

to the pop songs of the day.  He credits this exposure for his love of all music and song.

Larry started writing in his junior high years. Poetry, and just plain naughty lyrics at times. Kid stuff.

He graduated Lincolnview High School in 1971. In 1973, he married his High School sweetheart Vicki. (They have two daughters, Nichole and Amanda)

By this time, with encouragement from his wife and his family, Larry was getting serious about his writing. He had been working on a book of poetry, when he got together with an old friend, who put some music to some of his poetry. Larry was hooked.

Larry wrote songs he says they were more like folk songs, with a few rockers mixed in.

Nothing ever happened with those songs.

In 1987, a good friend of Larry’s suggested he and some of his co-writers that they go to Nashville, Tennessee and see about getting their songs published.

Again, after seeing Nashville and meeting some of the people, he was hooked even deeper in his drive to write songs.

It was in 1990,while in Nashville pitching his songs, that Larry met a future co-writer, Frank Gallagher during a visit to the Nashville Songwriters Association.

Larry and Frank had scored some cuts on indie labels over the next few years and in 1999 received a nomination  for songwriters of the year from the Tennessee Songwriters Association.

In 2000, Larry was very privileged to meet, Marijohn Wilkin, Nashville songwriter and ledged. ( Marijohn  wrote many hit songs over the years and Co-wrote the great song ”One Day At A Time”, with Kris Kristofterson.)  A meeting that was to last only 15 minutes, lasted 2 hours. They became very close friends. Larry said he was about to give up on the songwriting but Marijohn encouraged him. Larry says that he stayed with it because of her advice, and lo and behold with in a few months, Larry had a gospel song signed with Gaither Music. (Marijohn passed away in Oct. of 2006. She was 84) Larry says, he only knew her for a short time, but she taught him so much.

Larry’s song,” Cool Joe Cool”, was recorded by Norwegian artist Tom Brathen on the Doorknob Music label, and climbed the charts to number 5 in Norway, Demark, and

Sweden. Also on that same Cd, (From Norway to Nashville) a song that he wrote called “He Thought She Always Knew”.

Larry has had other songs cut here and over seas. With the song “Tennessee and You” being the title cut on the Hank Sasaki Cd. (Japan)

In 2005 Larry and Frank Gallagher, along with Grand Old Opry member Jim Ed Brown

Co-wrote a song called “Wake Up Jacob," that was recorded by Jim Ed on his 2005 Christmas Cd.

Larry still lives in Ohio, but travels to Nashville as often as he can.

As he says, “he’s got a lot of irons in the fire.”

Credits and Acknowledgements

For writing, editing, researching, documentation of history:

Harold L. Luick, CEO, Historian, Curator CMSI “Virtual” Museum, Library, Hall Of Fame

 © 2004 CMSI- Iowa/Midwest Country Music Heritage Museum, Library, Hall Of Fame, Harold L. Luick, Author/Publisher.

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