Carl Smith, R. I. P.

Carl Smith, Dapper Country Music Singer, Is Dead at 82 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com: "Carl Smith, the dapper singer who ranked among the most popular country hitmakers of the 1950s, died on Saturday at his home in Franklin, Tenn., just outside Nashville. He was 82.

He had recently suffered a stroke and had been in failing health, according to Keith Bilbrey, a close friend and former announcer on the Grand Ole Opry.

Mr. Smith’s music combined crooning vocals and upbeat arrangements, updating the gutbucket honky-tonk of his predecessors Hank Williams and Ernest Tubb with elements of rockabilly and rock ’n’ roll."

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.