The Lance Facts
(Courtesy of CMT.com and Lance Smith)
Mini-bio from CMT:
Lance Smith, new host of CMT's Top 20 Countdown and various other CMT specials was CMT's first-ever VJ. He joined CMT on May 28, 2001, with the launch of CMT Most Wanted Live and has become popular with CMT viewers. Smith has also hosted CMT's Live From the CMA Red Carpet Preshow. Lance has also started hosting "Got Me In With The Band," and other various CMT specials.
Bio:
Lance Smith: Behind the Music
No, life wasn't always this glamorous for Lance Smith. It all started way back in 1978 where Lance was raised on the hard streets of South Central Los Angeles. Movies like Boyz in tha Hood were a reality to Smith. Gangs were more like family and... okay just kidding. He was born in Huntsville, AL... good family... no gangs.
In a nut shell, Lance grew up in the south but moved across the country with his family and eventually settled in Franklin, TN which is where he still calls home. One thing he discovered from his travels is that the world is a peculiar place and there are many different characters out there, all with stories to be told. This is where he finds his love for the movies. However, acting wasn't always the plan for Lance. He used to dream of being a world famous lion tamer, but he was four and it was a phase he was going through.
The "bug", as they say, bit him in church. Close to the end of high school, Lance was asked to perform in The Passion Play. After the 20 plus perfomances to thousands of people, he decided
the silver screen was where he needed to be.
Los Angeles was calling and with the support of friends and family he answered. In '99 Lance moved west as most aspiring actors do. L.A. was a quick training ground for what was soon to come. After
working as an extra on most television sit-coms and various other programs he landed an audition that would take him away from Hollywood.
He spent the next six months touring the country with one of the largest musical acts around, The Dixie Chicks. Lance, along with Nathan Blackburn of MTV's Real World, set out every night, between acts, for over 90 shows to pump up a crowd of fifteen thousand or more. Little did he know this high energy show was preparing him for something that would take him back home to Nashville.
At the end of the tour, before he could return to life in Hollywood, Country Music Television, a division of MTV Networks, was holding a nation wide search for on-air talent. His work on Los Angeles sets and his enthusiasm in front of young country fans
had made him ready to become CMT's first VJ.
Now, two years later, you can find Lance hosting a variety of shows on one of the fastest growing networks on television. If it's counting down videos or firing up a crowd, Lance's energy has carried him a long way with fans. It is these fans that Lance hopes will follow him on to his career in film, because after all, the world is a peculiar place with lots of different characters, all with stories to be told.
-Vincent M. Harley (Friend)
Full name:
David Lance Smith (Mom and Dad always called me by my middle name)
Birthday/Age:
9/27/78 / 28
Family:
Wife: Carrie, Mom: Leona, Dad: Jim, Brother: Taylor
Anniversary:
September 17, 2005
Favorite artists:
Dwight Yoakam, Pat Green, Trent Summar and the New Row Mob
Favorite holiday:
Christmas/4th of July
Hobbies:
I don't really have any, I just go to the movies a lot
Favorite song:
Too many to choose from, I really like Dwight Yoakam doing "Honky Tonk Man"
Favorite music video:
Shania Twain's "Man I Feel Like a Woman", Dwight's "These Arms"
Last CD bought/received (at the time):
Mick Jagger's "Goddess in the Doorway" and Raul Malo's "Today"
Hometown:
I moved all my life, but I would call Franklin, Tenn. my home.
Education:
Graduated from Franklin High School in 1996
Career Goals:
Decided to pursue a career in film and so he went to Los Angeles in 1999.
Life Before CMT Most Wanted Live:
I was working on my film acting career, toured with the Dixie Chicks for six months and was just about to move back to Los Angeles.
Jobs Lance Did Before MWL & CMT:
Sold shoes in L.A. (to many celebrities)
Boxed Pies
Worked in the mall
Worked as an extra on numerous t.v. sitcoms
Did almost anything (within his moral boundries) to pay the rent
Worked with the Dixie Chicks on the "Fly" tour
Country Music Videos Starred In:
The Wilkinsons' "Fly (The Angel Song)"
Julie Reeves' "It's About Time"
Meredith Edwards' "A Rose Is A Rose"
Brad Paisley's "Celebrity" (Cameo as a bachelor)
Likes:
Sincerity, movies, live music, and more movies
Dislikes:
Insincerity, negativity, bad movies
Favorite Movie:
I have many favorites -- one being What's Eating Gilbert Grape.
Favorite Sport:
Football!!!!
Favorite MWL Moment:
So far, watching Gary Allan perform because I just sat down and watched as a fan.
Favorite Top Twenty Moment:
Hanging out with Jo Dee Messina in the Rockies
Favorite Food:
Really good buffalo wings and Cinnamon Toast Crunch
About Amber (Former co-host on MWL):
She's very sweet and extremely positive. I've never heard her say anything bad about anyone. She tries to see the good in things.
Amber About Lance:
"Lance is just a great, down-to-Earth guy. And, he has a wacky sense of humor which makes it really fun every day. It's great to work with such a genuinely sweet person."
Guilty Pleasures:
Shoes. I love shoes (Yes, men can like shoes too!) and John Madden 2k2
Future Hopes:
I really want a big family. I want to love my future wife and kids as much as possible. I grew up in a caring home so I want the same for my family and happiness, enlightenment
Personal Motto:
John 3:16 - Know it, love it, live it.
