Connie Smith has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, along with Garth Brooks and musician 'Pig' Robbins.

As the wife of Philadelphia's own Marty Stuart, Smith is an 'honorary Mississippian', but she was actually born in Indiana.

Country music legend Roy Acuff christened her the 'Sweetheart of the Grand Ole Opry.

Smith said when she was 5 years old that she would one day sing at the Grand Ole Opry. She was right. Smith became a member in 1965.

Smith was discovered in 1963 by Grand Ole Opry member, Bill Anderson, at a talent contest in Ohio, at which she won $5. She holds the distinction of being the first female in country music history to have a number 1 hit with her very first single. 'Once A Day' stayed at the number 1 for eight weeks.

Now, Connie Smith is a regular on the Grand Ole Opry and on The Marty Stuart Show. She just released her fifty-third album last year, 'Long Line of Heartaches'.

As a Hall of Fame member, she will be in exclusive company. Other members include Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Roy Rogers, and Reba McEntire. The Country Music Hall of Fame's first inductee was Meridian's own Jimmie Rodgers.

By Stephen Bowers