MENU
How and what do You write about the world's most unforgettable character?
How and what do You write about a man who wears a pair of shorts with a picture of a Smiley Face over the top of his pants?
How and what do You write about a man who is known by one name only?
How and what do You write about a man who works tirelessly for musicians and pickers in need, promoting and organizing some of the most successful benefits ever held in Nashville?
This Page of Smiley's Website will be written by his friends, One Paragraph at a Time. This can be a Roast, Praise, Fact, Fiction or Flat Barefaced Lies. Just Write How you know Smiley, How He has Touched your Life and What he has meant to you.
I first went to Nashville on an
invitation by Ron and Leslie Elliott to
attend the R.O.P.E. Extravaganza and to conduct and interview with the
legendary Don Helms. I was there for a few days so my dear, dear friends at
Scotty's Music made sure I was well taken care of. They even made
arrangements for a tour around town. Still flying high from the grand event
the night before I was ready for my tour of Downtown Nashville. My guide -
Smiley Roberts. I had no idea who he was let alone what he looked like so
when I was told to meet him in the lobby I was afraid I wouldn't know him
from Adam. But I was assured not to worry that Smiley would find me. (I
started looking for that big sign on my forehead saying 'here I am! It's
me!' Thankfully there was no such sign.) So as I waited anxiously in the
lobby of the hotel, I looked at every person who walked thru the doors
(still a tad bit worried about us finding each other). Then this goofy
looking man walked in. Surely this could not have been my escort for the
evening. Then it hit me. Those black pajama bottoms with yellow smiley
faces all over them, a Groucho Marx mustache, skinny as a rail, a ball cap
and the gaunt of a criminal trying to elude the authorities. I had to have
turned 3 shades of red - HA! That had to be how he would know it's me. Sure
enough he walked right up to me. Now I was really afraid of what kind of
tour I was going to get. Still, I had to trust my dear, dear friends at
Scotty's Music. No way would they put me in harms way - Scotty and my Papa
go way back. As we crossed the parking lot to his van, all the military
training, cautions for females, what did Mama say about strange men came
flooding back to me. I climbed into the van, hmmm, pretty empty there in
the back. Oh great there's an 'Oh Shit' handle for added leverage if
needed. All the while I'm figuring out how to protect myself and devise a
plan of escape, Smiley was just talking away. Then we pulled out of the
hotel parking lot. The real fun is just starting!
At this time, downtown was under a lot of road construction. The pavement
was unbelievably rough, caution signs, detours and barricades on almost
every block. Oh there's the Batman Building. Used to you could go on top
but every since some guy jumped...pot hole after pot hole (thank the Lord
for the Oh Shit handle), stop but not really speed up to stop again but not
really stop. There's the Gaylord Center where the Predators play. You know
anything about hockey? Stop, speed up, pot hole. I quickly thought, damn,
he's asking me about hockey? I should ask him about the pot holes! There's
the CMHOF, swerve to miss a pot hole for the FIRST time! He must have read
my mind. No longer fearing for my life from this strange man, I'm now
fearing for my life from this CRAZED MANIAC! Finally he drops me off on
Broadway while he goes to park. Whew land! And no pot holes!!! I enter The
Stage and order a drink - Lord knows I needed one. And began to relax when
Smiley returned. He proceeded to give me the details on the steel player
and his guitar. Just like Hughey's he said. As I was thoroughly enjoying
myself he said it's time to go. Moving right along...two doors down, had to
stop for a BBQ sandwich. Obviously I had no appetite...I believe I left it
in one of the pot holes a few streets back. I never witnessed anyone who
could eat a sloppy BBQ sandwich and leave NOTHING on his face let alone the
carpet duster on his upper lip! We proceeded down the sidewalk, entering bar
after bar. We finally reached Tootsie's and I did the typical tourist
thing...signed the wall. By this time I was much calmer having forgotten
the wild adventure of driving with Smiley.
It was time to go and the wild adventure returned. By the end of the
evening I had come to realize just how much fun I had, how much I learned
and how much I had laughed. Another exciting evening in Nashville. The
next morning Billy Robinson came and picked me up for a narrated tour of the
CMHOF. I had mentioned I went downtown with Smiley the night before and he
shot me a look and said, you let him drive? Ah, pretty quick on the uptake
this time...he must always drive that way.
The following morning I followed Ron Elliott over to Don Helm's home and
conducted the interview. Ron mentioned to Don that I had a tour of downtown
from Smiley. The great Don Helms looked at me and let out a laugh that said
it all - nobody told you did they?.
Smiley called me as I was leaving Don's home to make sure all was okay and
to wish me a safe trip home (ha I thought, maybe I should have reminded him
that most accidents occur within 10 miles of home.) He told me to keep in
touch and let him know the next time I would be in town. Chills ran down my
spine and that's when I decided that on my next trip to Nashville, I'll
drive.
I love ya Smiley, you're a one of a kind and true to heart!
Miss Lana
Smiley Roberts was born in Springfield Massachusetts not exactly a place where one would think someone would emerge from to have a successful music career in Nashville Tennessee.
But Smiles love for Country music started at a very young age while he was attending Springfield trade high school. I wasn’t around Massachusetts in the early fifties and did not arrive until 1969 after I was discharged from the Army at Fort Devens in Ayer Mass.
I was amazed at the amount of Country Music in the area probably the Military bases had a great deal to do with it. However when I started making the rounds sitting in with bands I couldn’t get over the number of pedal Steel players there were, and good ones too.
In conversations with them after I would compliment them they would quickly name this Smiley Roberts guy as the one best to ever hold a bar in the area. This was about ninety miles from the Springfield area where Smiley got his start. As fate would have it, Uncle Sam transferred me to the Springfield area and I would end my Military days there in recruiting.
Springfield was a real hot bed for Country music that also probably because of nearby Westover Air Force base. It was in the early seventies when I first met Smiley. I had gone to Nashville with friend and popular New England recording artist/yodeler Johnny Allen.
John now deceased was a good friend of Smiley and invited me to go with him. After I met Smiley we soon became good friends and remain great friends to this date. Whenever Smiley would travel to New England to visit his parents we would hang out and he would join my band usually every night of his stays. I became good friends of his Mom and Dad and would drop in to see them on occasion. Later Smiley would be responsible for me recording in Nashville and would bring in Tommy Overstreet during the session. Tommy after hearing me and listening to my original tunes decided to stay and produce the session.
Smiley’s Mom Anna would tell me stories of Smiley and with that background and from what Smiley has related to me I will attempt to pass on a little about Smiles beginning. His folks as I will talk about were big supporters to Smileys career in music. Smiley jokes his mom would have preferred him to play accordion but when he chose the steel guitar, he had 100% backing. It wasn’t long before as a teenager or under age to drive to gigs, his mom would drive him to and from them. Smiley had taken over at least half of a full cellar in their home and built a nice little studio engineer room and all.
One could see he was very serious even at that young age about his music. His mom told me he would go downtown to where they had the latest music albums on sale in Kresges dept store and he became close friends with the lady who was in charge. She would personally order his favorite music albums the very latest out and he would be there when they arrived. Smiley’s reputation grew leaps and bounds and soon all the very best area bands and Artist wanted his services. He wound up playing on a weekly TV show hosted by Lee Wayne and while he became friends with Lee he had the great sense to have Lee teach him to play drums. This would be his foot in the door once he arrived in Nashville but not exactly immediately. Smiley was also working as a DJ on a local country station WTYM.
I’m sure he will edit most of what I write as there is a lot to fill in between the lines. One great job he had was working for Slim Coxx and his Country Caravan show at Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut. There on Sunday afternoons they would play on the big outdoor stage sometimes backing Nashville and WWVA artist. I’m not sure when before or after that gig Smiley serves in the Army. His first journey to seek big time was to Wheeling W.Virginia. The home of the then second longest running radio broadcast the Wheeling Jamboree second to only the Grand ole Opry. It wasn’t long after that he got the feeling to move to Nashville where he would struggle to exist as the line was long of incoming musicians daily. After he finally got his road gig it was all up hill from there. Starting as a drummer for the Compton brothers and after the Steel player was replaced Smiley talked the brothers into hiring a drummer and using him on steel. That might have been the beginning but it certainly wasn’t where it would end. Followed by 10 successful road years, TV shows with Tommy Overstreet he left the road for a while. He likes to say because of illness. He says TO got sick of him. He wound up back with the Comptons,a few years with Cal Smith then he decided it was time to leave the road. He worked in the Staff band for a few years I’m not sure how many then he was chosen to play Steel in Brenda Lee’s successfully popular Music,Music show until it ended. He wound up doing a few shows once again with Tommy Overstreet and a lot of Studio work with Dennis Payne.
He even did the steel on Chubby Checkers “The Texas Twist”.
One thing I know he is proud of is the fact except for one temporary full time job that lasted only months, all he has ever done to make a living is play music. Another fact is everyone in New England remembers the kid who went to Nashville and the influence he was for a lot of up and coming Steelers. One of the things I am most proud of is Smiley Roberts calls me his friend. Oh and did I mention he is in the Mass Country music hall of fame. He deserves to be in the ISGHOF, but then again isn’t he already famous?
Country Joe Casey
Hey Smiles,
Here's wishing you a wonderful Christmas with much love!
It never fails that I get a smile on my own face whenever I see you comin' and I'm sure everyone else feels that same way.
Thanks for being who you are.
Mike Smith
I met Smiley Roberts in 1972 or 1973, On Lower Broadway in Nashville. This was before The Shorts and Smiley Faces. He was working for Tommy Overstreet playing steel guitar in T.O's Road Band. Smiley was always the same every time you saw him, nothing phony about him. He played his instrument and music the same way with no BS. He was steady, dependable and if he gave you his word you could depend on him. He was a fun guy without drugs or alcohol and when Smiley was around, you could expect to be entertained to the fullest, both on and off stage.
He wasn't any Buddy Emmons or Curly Chalker on Steel Guitar, but one instantly knew that he was playing to the level of those around him in the band and he didn't have anything to prove to Nashville. In one word he could best be described as "competent". Which in Nashville Means Great anyplace Else.
I left Nashville in late 1977 and lost contact with Smiley until around the time the Steel Guitar Forum started up on the internet around 1998.
I learned that Smiley was a caring individual about his fellow pickers, about music and about Steel Guitar in general. He promoted Music, The Steel Guitar and when a picker was in need from sickness or other causes, You could depend on Smiley Roberts to organize and promote a benefit event second to none.
Sleepy John Floyd
The Carolina Wildman