orig. Kathryn Elizabeth Smith
born May 1, 1909, Greenville, Va., U.S.
died June 17, 1986, Raleigh, N.C.
U.S. singer, long known as the "First Lady of Radio.
" Smith studied nursing before moving to New York City, where she won a Broadway role as an overweight girl who was the butt of jokes. In 1931 she began her immensely popular radio show Kate Smith Sings , which ran for 16 years; her theme song, "When the Moon Comes over the Mountain," became familiar to millions. In 1938 she created the news and gossip program Kate Smith Speaks and introduced Irving Berlin 's song "God Bless America." She hosted several television shows in the 1950s. In 1982 she was awarded the U.S. Medal of Freedom.