She Grew Up Surrounded by Music
Connie Smith, whose real name is Constance June Meador, was born on August 14, 1941, in Elkhart, Indiana. Her parents, Wilma and Hobart Meador, were originally from West Virginia, where Connie spent her early life and later in Dungannon, Ohio.
Her father, who was a farmworker, was an abusive alcoholic causing Connie to suffer a mental breakdown while she was in her teens. Her mother divorced her father when Connie was only seven and married Tom Clark, who later on became her most important musical influence.
Connie then grew up in a home surrounded by music and talented family members. Her stepfather, Tom Clark, played the mandolin. Her brother played guitar while another brother played the fiddle. Saturday nights are spent listening to the Grand Ole Opry radio broadcast.
And one accident turned into Connie’s guitar lessons. When the future singer was a teenager, Connie got into a lawnmower accident, which almost cut her leg off. While she was recovering in the hospital, she was given a guitar and quickly learned how to play different chords.