Artists: Biography Mindy Smith  

Mindy Smith was born and raised in Long Island, N.Y., but moved to Knoxville, Tenn., with her father after the death of her mother in 1991. In the South, she soaked up the sounds of Appalachia and fell in love with acoustic, jazz and blues music.

She moved to Nashville in 1998 to pursue a career in music and developed her unique vocal style, writing and acoustic skills while performing and singing at clubs and writers nights.

Smith won the 2000 Tin Pan South writers contest and signed a publishing deal with Big Yellow Dog Music in 2001. At the famed music conference South by Southwest in 2003, Lee Ann Womack invited her to perform "Come to Jesus," after singing harmonies during Womack's set.

As the only new artist featured on the 2003 tribute album Just Because I'm a Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton, Smith revived "Jolene." (Parton appeared in the video as well.) Smith wrote all the songs on her debut album One Moment More, was released on Vanguard Records in early 2004.