Singer. A popular singing icon of the Great Depression and World War II eras, she is best known for her renditions of patriotic anthems, most notably her definitive version of "God Bless America," which she originally introduced for Irving Berlin in 1938. Known as "The Songbird of the South" and "The First Lady of Radio," she was born Kathryn Elizabeth Smith in Greenville, Virginia, in 1907. She initially trained to be a nurse, but began singing professionally in theatres and at nightclubs during the early 1920s, soon relocating to New York City, New York, to pursue roles in vaudeville and on Broadway, where she appeared in "Honeymoon Lane" in 1926 and later in "Hit the Deck" and "Flying High." Her loud contralto voice made her very popular, and she was soon discovered by Columbia Records V.P. Ted Collins, who later became her manager. Signing with Columbia in 1927, she debuted with "One Sweet Letter from You," backed by Red Nichols' "Charleston Chasers" Band. In 1931, she began hosting her own radio show on CBS. Its theme song, "When the Moon Comes over the Mountain," subsequently became her first major recording hit, selling some 19 million copies. She was an immediate success on the air, and her vaudeville act soon broke the record for longevity at New York's legendary Palace Theatre. In 1932, Smith had a second successful song with "River, Stay 'Way from My Door," recorded with Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians; they later backed her on "Too Late," another Top Ten success released that same year. In all, she recorded two dozen hits for Columbia between 1927 and 1946. Throughout the Depression era, she became a national icon in 1938, when she recorded Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" for RCA Victor; within a year its success established it as an unofficial national anthem. Upon the United States' entrance into World War II, it re-entered the charts in both 1940 and 1942. In 1940, Kate and Ted Collins incorporated as Kated. This corporation, which produced her shows and others, bought a professional basketball team, the Kate Smith Celtics, and made its partners millionaires. During World War II, Kate Smith performed on two around-the-clock radio marathons to sell war bonds; she eventually sold over $600 million dollars worth. She had America's most popular radio variety hour, "The Kate Smith Hour," which aired weekly from 1937 to 1945. At the same time, she had the Number 1 daytime radio show, the midday "Kate Smith Speaks," a news and commentary program. In 1950, Kate Smith went on television with a Monday-Friday afternoon variety show, "The Kate Smith Hour" (1950 to 1954). It proved so popular that NBC gave her a prime-time show on Wednesday evenings, "The Kate Smith Evening Hour." In addition to her stage and radio popularity, Smith also appeared in films, starring in "The Big Broadcast" (1932) and "This Is the Army" (1943) with Ronald Reagan. Upon the 1964 death of her longtime manager, Ted Collins, Smith settled into semi-retirement, and greatly reduced her performing schedule in subsequent years. Her last television series was CBS's "The Kate Smith Show," a weekly half-hour musical series in 1960. She made many guest appearances on top television shows, such as "The Ed Sullivan Show," "The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show," "The Jack Paar Show," ABC Hollywood Palace," "The Andy Williams Show," "The Tony Orlando and Dawn Show," "The Dean Martin Show," "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," and "The Donny & Marie Show." In the 1960's, she began making LP albums, scoring such best sellers as "Kate Smith at Carnegie Hall" (1963), "How Great Thou Art" (1965), and "America's Favorites: Kate Smith/Arthur Fiedler/Boston Pops" (1967). Her last public performance was her rendition of "God Bless America" on a bicentennial television special just before July 4, 1976. Later in her life, an unusual aspect of her career began when the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League began playing her rendition of "God Bless America" instead of the National Anthem before some of their games. The Flyers won most of those games. Thus, she became a sort of good luck charm for the team, and made several live performances of the song before Flyers games, including a few during Stanley Cup playoff games. Rendered a sports icon in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after her passing, recordings of her singing "God Bless America" were frequently played before games. On October 26, 1982, President Reagan awarded Smith the Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor. She was inducted posthumously into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1999.