Connie Smith

===1968–1972: Setbacks, gospel music and continued country music success===
By 1968, Smith had reached the height of her career. She was making multiple appearances on film and television while attempting to balance touring with a family life.{{sfn|Bufwack|Oermann|2003|p=294}}<ref name="allmusicbio"/> The pressures of various responsibilities stressed Smith to a point where she nearly left her career. In 1968, she discovered Christianity, which brought solace to her personal and professional life.<ref name="roughguide"/>{{sfn|Escott|2001|p=28}}<ref name="Nashville Scene">{{cite news |last1=Friskics-Warren |first1=Bill |title=Queen of Broken Hearts |url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/arts_culture/queen-of-broken-hearts/article_668f9980-9d35-54b3-9669-5efbaa43970d.html |access-date=30 May 2022 |work=[[Nashville Scene]] |date=October 15, 1998}}</ref> Ultimately, she chose to continue with her career and recorded for RCA every few months.{{sfn|Mazor|2012|p=7}} However, she reduced her touring schedule. She devoted the remainder of her time to family life and made efforts to appear on more Christian music programs. She worked alongside ministers [[Billy Graham]] and [[Rex Humbard]]. She also appeared on several Christian television shows.{{sfn|Escott|2001|p=28}}

[[File:Connie Smith--CMA Awards 1972.jpg|thumb|left|130px|Smith presenting "Instrumentalist of the Year" at the 1972 [[Country Music Association Awards]].]]
With Smith's commitment to RCA, the label continued releasing new albums and singles with regularity.{{sfn|Mazor|2012|p=7}} With her new religious convictions, Smith also made it a priority to include [[Gospel music|gospel]] recordings on her secular albums. This remained a theme throughout her career.{{sfn|Mazor|2012|p=7-8}} In 1968 and 1969, RCA Victor released the studio LPs ''[[Sunshine and Rain]]'', ''[[Back in Baby's Arms]]'' and ''[[Connie's Country]]''. These recordings yielded a cover of [[Marty Robbins]]'s "[[Ribbon of Darkness]]". Smith's version reached the top 20 of the ''Billboard'' country singles chart.{{sfn|Mazor|2012|pp=21-25}}<ref name="whitburn"/> In Canada, "Ribbon of Darkness" became her first song to top their ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' Country chart.<ref name="rpm">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=gmrhouli7kvfvaeu848ka389j0&q1=Connie+Smith&x=0&y=0|title=Search results for "Connie Smith"|magazine=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]|accessdate=2009-07-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129023441/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=gmrhouli7kvfvaeu848ka389j0&q1=Connie+Smith&x=0&y=0|archive-date=2014-11-29|url-status=dead}}</ref> Entering the 1970s, Smith made the top 10 of the North American country charts with less frequency, but continued having commercial success.<ref name="allmusicbio"/><ref name="roughguide"/> The singles "[[You and Your Sweet Love]]" and "[[I Never Once Stopped Loving You (song)|I Never Once Stopped Loving You]]" (both written by Bill Anderson) made the ''Billboard'' country top 10 in 1970.<ref name="allmusicbio"/> Her fifteenth studio LP of the [[I Never Once Stopped Loving You|same name]] was released in 1970 and made the top 20 of the ''Billboard'' country albums chart.<ref name="Country Albums"/>

During this period, Smith also teamed with country singer-songwriter [[Nat Stuckey]] to record two duet studio albums. The idea was crafted by Smith's producer (Bob Ferguson) and Stuckey's producer ([[Felton Jarvis]]). Both men thought the artists' voices would "blend well".{{sfn|Mazor|2012|p=27}} The duo's first duet sessions produced a cover of [[Sonny James]]'s "[[Young Love (1956 song)|Young Love]]", which reached the top 20 of the ''Billboard'' country songs chart.<ref name="whitburn"/> Their first [[Young Love (Connie Smith and Nat Stuckey album)|album of the same name]] featured covers of country and pop songs of the era.{{sfn|Mazor|2012|p=27}} In an effort for Smith record more gospel music, the duo cut a spiritual-themed LP in 1970 titled ''[[Sunday Morning with Nat Stuckey and Connie Smith]]''. Christian radio programs often opened their shows with the duo's gospel music, which influenced RCA to release "If God Is Dead (Who's That Living in My Soul)" as a single in 1970.{{sfn|Mazor|2012|p=27-31}} The song peaked in the lower reaches of the ''Billboard'' country chart.<ref name="whitburn"/>

Journalists and writers took notice of Smith's RCA work following 1968. Biographer and writer Barry Mazor found that Smith's recordings had "a new delicacy of phrasing that shows itself".{{sfn|Mazor|2012|p=8}} Mazor also found her albums to have more distinctive qualities, calling 1970s ''I Never Once Stopped Loving You'' to be "one of her most consistent and strongest albums".{{sfn|Mazor|2012|p=35}} AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised Smith's recordings from 1968 to 1972, highlighting the strength of her vocals: "She may have been given some of the best songs, but the thing is, she deserved them: few others could give them grace and soul, as this always entertaining box amply proves."<ref name="Erlewine 4674">{{cite web |last1=Erlewine |first1=Stephen Thomas |title=''Just for What I Am'': Connie Smith: Songs, reviews, credits |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/just-for-what-i-am-mw0002274674 |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=30 May 2022}}</ref> Authors Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann commented that her later RCA singles, "stand the test of time as among the most powerful country female vocal performances of the 1970s."{{sfn|Bufwack|Oermann|2003|p=294}}

In the early 1970s, Smith started recording more songs penned by [[Dallas Frazier]]. The pair had become close friends, which prompted Frazier to write songs for Smith that reflected situations in her personal life.{{sfn|Mazor|2012|p=47}}{{sfn|Mazor|2012|p=36-37}} Both Smith and Frazier described her 1970 single "[[Where Is My Castle (song)|Where Is My Castle]]" as being autobiographical of her recent marital troubles. "Anybody knows that its cathartic to sing how you feel about things," Smith later said.{{sfn|Mazor|2012|p=37}} "Where Is My Castle" reached the top 20 of both the ''Billboard'' and ''RPM'' country singles charts.<ref name="whitburn"/><ref name="rpm"/> In 1971, RCA released Smith's cover of [[Don Gibson]]'s "[[Just One Time (song)|Just One Time]]". Backed by a large rhythm section, the recording reached number two on the ''Billboard'' and ''RPM'' country charts, becoming her most commercially successful single of the 1970s.<ref name="whitburn"/>{{sfn|Mazor|2012|p=41}} Her eighteenth studio LP of the [[Just One Time (album)|same name]] reached number 14 on the ''Billboard'' country albums chart and featured [[liner notes]] written by [[Loretta Lynn]].{{sfn|Mazor|2012|p=41}}<ref name="Country Albums"/>

With Smith being among RCA's top-selling recording artists, she had enough leverage to coax executives to let her record another gospel album. The result was 1971's ''[[Come Along and Walk with Me]]''. The studio album featured gospel tracks written by spiritual writers such as [[Dottie Rambo]].{{sfn|Mazor|2012|p=42}} In 1972, Smith had three back-to-back top singles on the ''Billboard'' country chart: "[[Just for What I Am]]", "[[If It Ain't Love (Let's Leave It Alone)]]" and "[[Love Is the Look You're Looking For]]".<ref name="allmusicbio"/> RCA released the singles on three separate LPs: ''[[Ain't We Havin' Us a Good Time]]'' (1972), ''[[If It Ain't Love and Other Great Dallas Frazier Songs]]'' (1972) and ''[[Love Is the Look You're Looking For]]'' (1973).{{sfn|Mazor|2012|p=47}} Her most commercially successful album was ''If It Ain't Love and Other Great Dallas Frazier Songs'', which reached number 14 on the ''Billboard'' country albums chart.<ref name="Country Albums"/> The studio project was recorded as a tribute to Dallas Frazier and featured 10 songs written by him. Frazier also sang several duets with Smith on the project. Before leaving her contract with RCA, the label released more LPs, including the compilation ''[[Dream Painter]]'' (1973).{{sfn|Mazor|2012|p=47}} Its [[Dream Painter (song)|title track]] charted in the ''Billboard'' top 40.<ref name="whitburn"/>