Grammy winner Sammi Smith was a leading country female vocalist during the 1970s. Her biggest hit was the million-selling definitive version of Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make it Through the Night" which earned her the Grammy for "Best Country Vocalist Performance - Female" and "Single of the Year" from the Country Music Association in 1971. The song was a number one country record in Billboard magazine and also made the pop top ten.
She was the mother of actor/singer Waylon Payne.