Former Radio Greeneville Operations Manager and award-winning songwriter Ray Smith died Saturday.
Smith joined WGRV in the late 1950s as program director and retired after more than 60 years with the company. During his career, he helped program the stations, including the launch of what was then WOFM, later WIKQ. He also spent 25 years as the play-by-play voice of Greeneville High School football and hosted WGRV’s popular afternoon “Road Show.”
Beyond broadcasting, Smith was deeply involved in the community. He was an active member of the Greeneville Kiwanis Club and served on the Greeneville City School Board from 1991 through 2005, including three years as chairman after serving eight years as vice chairman. He was recognized as a Master School Board Member by the Tennessee School Boards Association, and the board was named Tennessee’s School Board of the Year during his tenure as chairman.
Smith also earned national recognition as a songwriter. His composition “Fifteen Years Ago” became Conway Twitty’s fifth No. 1 country hit in 1970, and “She Needs Someone to Hold Her (When She Cries)” reached No. 1 in 1973. His songs were also recorded by Ray Price, Charley Pride, The Statler Brothers, John Prine, Lee Ann Womack, and other country artists.
Before Conway Twitty recorded “Fifteen Years Ago,” Smith released the song himself on Sugar Hill Records. After hearing Smith’s recording while performing in Knoxville, Twitty immediately contacted him for permission to record it. Smith attended the Nashville recording session, and the song went on to top the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, earning Smith songwriting honors from both the Nashville Songwriters Association and SESAC.
Smith also recorded four singles of his own for Sugar Hill Records. His recording of “Love Gets Sweeter” reached the Canadian country Top 40 in 1971.
Former Radio Greeneville Operations Manager and award-winning songwriter Raymond Ashley Smith passed away peacefully early Saturday morning at the age of 90.
Ray was born in the “Graveltown” community of Western Kentucky and was a lifelong fan of his beloved Kentucky Wildcats. He was a 1954 graduate of Lewisburg High School and a veteran of the United States Air Force.
After his time in military service, Ray moved to Greeneville, TN where he joined WGRV Radio in the late 1950s as program director. He retired after more than 60 years with Radio Greeneville. During his career, he helped program the stations, including the launch of what was then WOFM, later WIKQ. He also spent 25 years as the play-by-play voice of Greeneville High School football and hosted WGRV’s popular afternoon “Road Show.”
Beyond broadcasting, Ray was deeply involved in local and state public service. He was an active member of the Greeneville Kiwanis Club and was a devoted member of Trinity United Methodist Church for more than 60 years. Ray served on the Greeneville City School Board from 1991 through 2005, including three years as chairman and eight years as vice chairman. He was honored as a Master School Board Member by the Tennessee School Boards Association, and the board was named Tennessee’s School Board of the Year during his tenure as chairman. Ray was also an active member of the Tennessee Republican Party and worked closely with Governor Winfield Dunn as a regional campaign organizer.
Ray earned national recognition as a songwriter. His composition “Fifteen Years Ago” became Conway Twitty’s fifth No. 1 country hit in 1970, and “She Needs Someone to Hold Her (When She Cries)” reached No. 1 in 1973. Both songs received songwriting honors from the Nashville Songwriters Association and SESAC. Ray also recorded four singles of his own for Sugar Hill Records. His recording of “Love Gets Sweeter” reached the Canadian country Top 40 in 1971. Ray’s songs have been recorded by numerous other artists including Ray Price, Charley Pride, Loretta Lynn, The Statler Brothers, John Prine, Lee Ann Womack, and Daryle Singletary.
Raymond Ashley Smith is survived by his beloved wife of more than 50 years, Sandra, and daughters Ashleigh (Preston) Powers of Knoxville, TN and Staci (Russell) Blackwell of Charlotte, North Carolina. His grandchildren, Gregory Miller Powers, Hayden Mitchell Blackwell, and Jocelyn Gayle Blackwell, were the greatest joy of his retirement years. He is welcomed into heaven by his parents, Mack Neely and Flora Hunt Smith and by nine treasured brothers and sisters, who proceeded him in death. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews from these family lines, whom he dearly cherished.
Be it his community, his country, or his family, no one took care of those around him more diligently than Ray Smith. His family is so proud of all he accomplished and even more proud of the caring, servant spirit with he which approached every day, including his last.
The family welcomes visitation Thursday, July 30th from 2-4pm and 6-7:30pm at Trinity United Methodist Church in Greeneville. The service will immediately follow at 7:30pm Thursday evening.
Interment will be at Union Chapel Cemetery with graveside service at 11:00am on Friday. Family and friends will meet at Doughty-Stevens Funeral Home at 10am Friday to process to the cemetery.
The family would like to thank the many caregivers who made Ray comfortable during his final months, including the staff of Laughlin Healthcare Center, Gentiva Hospice Care, and especially our dear friends Melanie Wilburn and Alyssa Davis.
