Gloria Smyth (Sherry) Story (1971-present)
Photo Gallery -
Band Lineups -
Discography
- Audio samples -
Where Are They Now?
The Story
In Ireland, if you mention the
name "Gloria" everyone (who was around back in the 1970s) knows
you're taking about Gloria Smyth
who became Gloria Sherry and took the country by storm in August
1977 when she released the Kris Kristofferson penned song, "One Day
at a Time" (which he wrote with American country singer Marijohn
Wilkin).
Born in 1951, Gloria came to
national attention in 1971 when there was a fairly major legal case
involving her singing career. She had started her singing career
with the Maurice Lynch Band (who coincidentally hit the Irish dance
circuit the year Gloria was born). In July, 1969 Gloria was
introduced to the public as "the 18 year old on the pianette." By
October of 1970 she had apparently released her first single, "A
Girl Called Johnny Cash."
We're not 100% sure it was released on record, but she had sung it
on the band's 15 minute RTE radio show.
By April, 1971 it was reported in
the Donegal News that Gloria had left the band to embark on a
solo career and things got a little complicated. By August, 1971 the
same paper report that Gloria was releasing a new record, "Punish Me
Tomorrow" as she was fronting a brand new band, The Cascades. The
article also referred to her as being an ex-member of the Cavan
based Finnavons and this was cause for the singer and the management
of the band to go to court.
To summarise, Gloria had
apparently signed a contract with the Finnavons for up to two years
and then was enticed to join a new band, the Cascades, managed by
her father Jimmy Smyth. The end result was an injunction against her
performing with any band without the Finnavons permission. The
resulting court case was headline news across the country. It took
less than a month for the case to be settled and Gloria was released
from her contract with the Finnavons and joined the new band,
releasing her aforementioned first single.
The Cascades were previously known
as the "Linesmen" but when Gloria joined, she was accompanied by
soon-to-be-husband Don Sherry. The new band was christened "Gloria,
Jim and the Cascades."The was being managed by Jimmy Smyth (who also
managed the Mighty Avons) and Tony Loughnane (who was also managing
Frankie McBride).
In June, 1972 it appears Gloria
(and Don) were on the move again. The Drogheda Independent
reported that Gloria had been offered a job with Johnny McEvoy's new
country band and Don Sherry left to joined Frankie McBride's new
band. This left the Cascades to revert to their previous moniker,
"The Linesmen." For interest's sake, the lineup of the Linesmen was:
Eamon McKevitt (Dundalk), Jim McQuillan (Annagasan-guitar), Tony
Martin (Dundalk-bass-replaced Don Sherry), Paddy Byrne (Togher -
keyboards), Con Dullaghan (Dundalk - sax), and Paul McCormick
(Dundalk - drums).
In November of 1972, Gloria
released her first single with Johnny, "Just The Way I Am / Happy
Times." By June of 1975 Gloria had recorded an album of songs
herself as well as an album of duets with Johnny. She released a new
single, "Bedtime Story."
In October, 1976, the Irish
entertainment scene was "shocked" when Gloria left Johnny's band to
go out on her own. It was reported in the Donegal News thast she
would be joined by now husband Don Sherry and former Cotton Mill
Boy, Mick McManus on fiddle. The band was to be managed by Willie
McCormick of Release Management. In November it was reported that
Tracy had replaced Gloria in the band.
A report by "Maestro" in the
Donegal Democrat raised the question, "Gloria Who?" The
question was raised as Gloria Smith had been called Gloria with
Johnny McEvoy was soon called Gloria Sherry with Mississippi on her
recording "I'll Get Over You" (1977) which was number nine on the
Irish chart for one week, and was now on record referred to as
Gloria Darling with her most recent offering, "Tennessee Mountain
Home."
For all this time, Mississippi and
Gloria enjoyed moderate success on the country dance scene across
the country. However everything would change in August, 1977 when
she released the Kris Kristofferson penned "One Day At A Time." The
song would shoot to number one on the Irish Charts and remained on
the charts for 90 weeks making it the biggest selling Irish single
of all time. It would be her only number one hit and although she
release and charted with several records following this, non would
have the impact which made her a household name overnight.
Unbelievably, we cannot find a
photo of "Gloria and Mississippi" anywhere. Although elsewhere on
the site we have reported on the general demise of the showband era
in the early to mid 1980s, this was not the end for country bands.
As discos took over the dance halls and ballrooms closed, country
artist easily moved into the hotels and cabaret venues and (along
with a select group of smaller pop bands) things remained viable
throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s.
Gloria and Mississippi continued
to gig well into the 1990s although we can find fewer and fewer
advertisements for the band from 1995. Gloria would continue
appearances in mostly cabaret spots ijn the late 1990s and according
to an article on Wikipedia she officially "retired" in 2001,
although she would return to the music scene some years later.
Gloria would divorce husband Don
Sherry in 2010 after a turbulent few years. She remains one of
Ireland's most beloved female stars and across the country in 2024
whenever anyone sings "One Day At A Time" everyone in the audience
sings along and Gloria's impact on the Irish scene comes to life
once again.
More to come.....
click on thumbnails for full image
