Country singer and United States Navy Reserve member Jo Smith has released an achingly beautiful song, “Wyoming,” with the tender harmonies of Vince Gill.
Ruminating on the opening verse, Smith sings, “He packed everything he owned / On the back of that old pickup / And he gave up on this dream in Tennessee I heard he took a job / On a ranch outside of Cody / He’s been runnin’ like those ponies, wild and free / No woman coulda stole him from me.” Sonically, the ballad features a traditional country sound that harkens back to the core of this storytelling genre—heartfelt lyrics and old-school instrumentation that gave it its identity.
“Wyoming, Wyoming / Why did your skies have to be so blue? / Wyoming, Wyoming / What did I ever do to you?,” Smith belts on the poignant chorus with Gill, both singing with a tear in their voice.
“Having Vince on the song is special for so many reasons, beyond him just being the GOAT,” Smith tells Sounds Like Nashville in an interview. “He was a part of my Opry debut back in 2013, and more recently, I was able to play him the final mix of “Wyoming” on the air during an appearance he made to the Coffee, Country & Cody show [where I was co-hosting with Bill Cody].”
“Vince got really emotional while he was listening,” she reveals. “That was a moment I’ll never forget. I, of course, started crying on the air, too!”
Perhaps unbeknownst to new fans and listeners, Smith also serves in the U.S. Navy Reserve. In fact, her selfless journey and passion for serving the country has played a big part in shaping both her life and music.
“I wrote ‘Wyoming’ over fifteen years ago. It was a big reason I got my record deals on RCA and later, SMACK. But somehow, it always got put on the shelf for not being a two-and-a-half minute up-tempo,” Smith explains. “By going to work in Somalia in 2019, I was able to pull it off the shelf, and give it the production and the release I’ve always dreamed of giving it.”
“After I returned from Somalia, the record was almost done, and I [had] to make a decision about what kind of ‘regular’ job I was going to have in order to have the steady income needed to finish my project,” the Georgia native continues.
“Working in Somalia was life-changing because I was, for the first time, part of something far bigger than myself. I’ve always wanted to serve my country, and joining the Reserve seemed like the perfect way to do that while also having time to refocus on music.”
And the product of Smith’s time in service and her renewed creative lens? The flawlessly mesmerizing, “Wyoming.”