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7 Years Ago Today, We Said Goodbye to the Grammy-Winning Country-Rock Frontman Who Penned Chart-Topping Hits for Randy Travis and Don Williams
On this day (12 July) in 2019, American country singer-songwriter Russell Smith died from cancer-related complications at the age of 70, and the article marks the seventh anniversary of his passing. Best known as the frontman of the country-rock band The Amazing Rhythm Aces, Smith was also a Grammy winner and a prolific songwriter whose compositions became number-one hits for artists including Randy Travis and Don Williams.
Born Howard Russell Smith on 17 June 1949 in Nashville, Tennessee, he began writing songs in high school before forming the band Fatback in Knoxville, which relocated to Memphis and became The Amazing Rhythm Aces. Their 1975 debut album Stacked Deck produced the crossover hit "Third Rate Romance" (number 11 country, number 14 pop), and the group won the 1976 Grammy for Country Vocal Performance by a Group for "The End Is Not in Sight (The Cowboy Tune)". After the band split in 1981 he released solo albums and later found his greatest success writing chart-topping songs such as "Look Heart, No Hands" (Randy Travis), "Heartbeat in the Darkness" (Don Williams), "Don't Go to Strangers" (T. Graham Brown) and "Keep It Between the Lines" (Ricky Van Shelton), while also fronting the novelty bluegrass act Run C&W before rejoining the Aces in 1994.
In short
- Russell Smith, country-rock frontman and songwriter, died in 2019 aged 70.
- He fronted Grammy-winning band The Amazing Rhythm Aces.
- He wrote number-one hits for Randy Travis and Don Williams.
Explained simply
Russell Smith was an American country-rock singer and songwriter who died in 2019 at the age of 70. He was best known as the frontman of The Amazing Rhythm Aces, a band that achieved significant success in the 1970s with hits like "Third Rate Romance" and won a Grammy Award in 1976.
After the band disbanded in 1981, Smith became a highly successful songwriter whose compositions were recorded by major country artists. His songs became number-one hits for Randy Travis, Don Williams, and other prominent performers, establishing him as an influential figure in country music even after he stepped back from performing.
Smith was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1949 and began writing songs as a teenager. He formed his first band whilst in Knoxville before they relocated to Memphis and changed their name to The Amazing Rhythm Aces, beginning a career that would span five decades and leave a lasting mark on country and rock music.