Kate Smith — Music Videos

A voice from radio’s golden age

Kate Smith was an American singer and broadcaster whose rich contralto became a familiar sound on radio in the 1930s and 1940s. Her career connected popular song, variety entertainment and the patriotic music associated with the Second World War. She could project considerable power without losing the clear diction and direct manner that made her performances effective for an audience listening at home. Radio, rather than a single musical genre, provided the central setting for her public career.

Songs and broadcasts

Smith is especially associated with Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America,” which she introduced to a national radio audience in 1938. That performance became an enduring part of the song’s history. Her broadcasts also encompassed lighter popular entertainment: The Kate Smith Hour mixed music with comedy and helped introduce performers including Abbott and Costello. “When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain” was another song closely connected with her radio identity.

Listening across the decades

Her recordings preserve a style of mainstream American singing that preceded the dominance of rock and roll. The voice is full and resonant, with sustained notes and clearly shaped melodies. Hearing Smith alongside the dance orchestras and vocalists of the same period reveals how much variety existed within the popular music heard on American radio.