On 16 July 1964, a then-unknown 22-year-old singer named Connie Smith recorded her debut single, "Once a Day", at Nashville's Studio B, kicking off a record-setting country music career. Written by Bill Anderson, who had discovered Smith after judging a talent contest in Ohio the previous year, the song went on to top the US Hot Country Songs chart for eight consecutive weeks from late November 1964, a feat no female solo country artist would match for nearly 50 years.

Smith's win at the Frontier Ranch talent contest earned her Anderson's mentorship and, eventually, a recording contract with RCA under producer Chet Atkins. "Once a Day" earned her Grammy nominations and made her the sole female country artist to send a debut single to number one until Trisha Yearwood matched the feat in 1991, while Taylor Swift finally surpassed her chart-topping run in December 2012. Smith, now 84, went on to score 19 further top 10 singles and released her most recent album in April 2024.