Carrie Louise Smith was born in Fort Gaines, GA, on Aug. 25, 1925. She started her career as a gospel singer, appearing at music festivals like the Newport Jazz Festival and Great Harvest Baptist Church in Newark. In 1961 she gave a solo concert at Town Hall in Manhattan. In the 1960s Ms. Smith sang with the pianist Big Tiny Little's band and a sextet led by the trombonist Tyree Glenn. By the next decade, she had developed a solo career, though she gained more renown in Europe than she did in United States.