Carl Smith helped define the sound of 1950s country with his string of 21 consecutive Top 10 hits, united by their polished understatement and a healthy dose of steel guitar. The Tennessee singer was inspired to make music just as so many country stars that would follow were: by listening to the Grand Ole Opry while growing up in small-town Appalachia. The legendary WSM program would also provide Smith with his first big break, signing him in 1950 and spurring his quick rise to country-chart ubiquity. His first No. 1 was the surprisingly saucy, two-step-ready number “Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way,” which, like many of Smith’s hits, showcased the crying pedal steel of Johnny Sibert acting almost as the singer’s duet partner. Sultry and danceable quickly became Smith’s signatures, as heard on the jaunty semi-standard “Hey Joe!” in which the singer readily confesses his plans to steal his friend’s girlfriend. Though his hit-making slowed in the ’60s, Smith’s commitment to classic honky-tonk and western swing never wavered—his last Top 10 hit was a 1967 take on the Bob Wills classic “Deep Water.”