Born in Miami, Florida on October 21, 1947, Helene Smith earned the nickname ‘Miami’s First Lady of Soul’ thanks to a series of singles she released on independent labels between 1964 and 1972. Although she never scored a national or international hit, her reputation has continued to grow over the decades. She released singles on the indie labels Blue Star, Lloyd, Deep City, Phil L.A. of Soul, Dash, and Dade. She released three singles in 1964: “You Got to Do Your Share”, “The Pot Can’t Talk to the Kettle”, and “Somebody Tell Me”, which was credited to Helen Smith and The Backbeats. The 1966 single “Thrills and Chills” was quickly followed by “A Woman Will Do Wrong”, which was released under the group name Helene Smith with the Rocketeers. The year 1967 was an extremely busy one for her, releasing the album Sings Sweet Soul and the singles “Wrong or Right”, “What’s in the Lovin’”, and “True Love Don’t Grow on Trees”. Helene Smith released several more singles in 1969, 1971, and 1972 but eventually left the music business. After the untimely death of her husband, she eventually became a teacher for the Miami school district.
