Howard Russell Smith, born in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 17, 1949, became a songwriter and singer who led the Amazing Rhythm Aces and later found major success as a country songwriter. After moving with his family to Lafayette, he worked locally as a disc jockey and live performer on WEEN, then moved to Knoxville after graduating from Macon County High School and formed the band Fatback. In 1972, after two Fatback members joined Jesse Winchester in Montreal, Quebec, Smith joined them, and Winchester became the first to record Smith's signature song "Third Rate Romance" along with "The End is Not in Sight." The band returned to Knoxville in 1974, then moved to Memphis at the invitation of producer Barry "Byrd" Burton of Sam Philips Recording Service. There, under Smith's leadership, Winchester's former band name evolved into the Amazing Rhythm Aces, whose eclectic mix of rhythm and blues, soul, rock, and country produced their first album, Stacked Deck, in 1975. Placed with ABC Records by Knox Philips, the album launched charted hits including "Third Rate Romance," "Amazing Grace (Used to Be Her Favorite Song)," and "The End is Not in Sight," which won a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Although the group toured with the Eagles and Jimmy Buffett and appeared on "Austin City Limits" and "Saturday Night Live," it disbanded in 1981 after recording in Nashville and Muscle Shoals, Alabama, amid frustration over limited continuing success. Smith then moved to Nashville, where he had five minor country hits as a solo performer but achieved greater distinction as a songwriter with hits including Tanya Tucker's "Dancing the Night Away," Mel McDaniel's "Big Ole Brew," Don Williams's "Heartbeat in the Darkness," T. Graham Brown's "Don't Go to Strangers," and Ricky Van Shelton's "Keep It Between the Lines." Many other artists recorded his songs, and "Third Rate Romance" was later recorded by performers including Earl Scruggs, the Fabulous Poodles, Rosanne Cash, and Sammy Kershaw. Smith also periodically reunited the Amazing Rhythm Aces and led the novelty band Run C and W with former Eagle Bernie Leadon. He was living in Franklin, Tennessee, when he died on July 12, 2019.