NASHVILLE – Music industry veteran Hazel Smith was honored Monday, August 15 at the first-ever Music Row Storytellers event, an evening benefiting Music Health Alliance, sponsored by CMT.
The event is meant to honor those that stand the test of time in telling the stories that make the music industry so fascinating – the journalists, interviewers, reporters, show hosts and others who chronicle and share the stories of Music Row and its musicmakers. Inaugural honoree Smith has been a constant presence in country music as long as many can remember. After moving to Nashville in the late ’60s, the divorced mother of two would go on to be a songwriter, publicist, manager and journalist. Her ability to capture a moment was never more evident than when she coined the phrase “Outlaw Music” in the 1970s. Hazel would go on to tell many more of Music Row’s stories as a writer for Country Music magazine, contributor to Country Weekly, radio reporter, columnist for CMT.com, and weekly TV show host for the network.