When Hazel Smith entered the room, she turned heads.

She had a magnetic presence and a laughter that echoed through the walls. She knew no stranger. She had no filter. Her eyes danced as she talked about her family. And she had more friends than we can count.

Hazel Smith was a force in country music and for years, entertained us all with her stories on 95.5 WFMS. Stories of Garth sending Hazel dozens and dozens of roses when she was recognized by the CMA with a Media Achievement Award, in 1999. From time to time, she received emails from Kenny Chesney, who invited Hazel to sit front and center at a dress rehearsal for one of his tours. (No matter how hard we tried, Hazel refused to share that email!) She confronted one artist (who shall remain nameless) with honest yet hard-to-hear words that he drank too much. And that he owed it to himself to do something about it. (He did.)

Hazel was a household first-name in the land of country music, similar to the likes of Reba, Garth and Shania. She was everyone’s Grandma, always quick to share a remedy if you were under the weather, or a recipe when you were hosting a dinner. She ‘cut on’ the oven, and Martha Stewart’s biscuits and gravy suddenly seemed sub-par because Hazel’s biscuits had that something extra. Hazel shared her special cornbread dressing recipe with me just before Thanksgiving one year, and I called her on Thanksgiving Day with an update that it was a hit with my family. She answered the phone like she did every other time: ‘Hellooooooo,,,it’s Hazel.’ 

She called us honey, sweetie, baby doll, sweethearts, and laughed at our dumb jokes. She loved to hear about our families and certainly loved hers. Speaking of family, Hazel welcomed our WFMS listeners into her heart, and it was important to her that she made time for all of you. She was grateful for your kind words over the years, and was happy to hear of your milestones, whether it was a marriage, an anniversary, or a son’s birthday. Hazel’s eyes were glossy with tears when we presented her two books full of your get-well messages during her battle with cancer. She felt your love.

One of our favorite stories is the time we took Hazel to lunch at the Palm in Nashville. She loved the artichokes on her salad, and was more than happy to allow Jim or Kevin escort her arm in arm to our table, lingering just a little longer than necessary. As we dined, a large group of guests walked by and were seated in a private room, when Hazel recognized one of the men in the party as Nashville’s Mayor. Without delay, she made a beeline to their room, swung open the door and exclaimed ‘Mayor! It’s me, Hazel!’ We laughed at her boldness, envious of her confidence and unwillingness to let life pass her by.

Hazel’s determination is what drove her success as a journalist, radio/television personality and songwriter, with more than 175 songs registered with BMI, including cuts from artist Tammy Wynette. Hazel is credited with coining country’s ‘Outlaw Music’ term, and celebrities from Brad Paisley to Ricky Skaggs and Garth Brooks have expressed the impact of her passing.

“Please know this is a statement of honesty, not a statement of humility: I would not have the career I have been so blessed to have if it weren’t for the constant support and guidance  of Hazel Smith.  I am 100% positive about that statement.” ~Garth Brooks

Here at WFMS, we thank you for all of your heartfelt thoughts and kind words this week as we remember a family member who left an imprint on all of our hearts. It’s difficult to describe the spirit Hazel embodied, and it certainly is one lacking in the world today. We need more Hazels. More honesty. More laughter. More light in an often dim world.

We’ll see you again one day, Hazel. Until then, it’s ‘Byyyyyyyye for now.’

~Deborah Honeycutt