Kate Smith, known as "The Songbird of the South" and "The First Lady of Radio," was America's most iconic female vocalist across 5 decades from the 1920s to the 1960s.

 

But little did anyone suspect that some of the most exhilarating moments in her career would occur in the mid-1970s, long after her chart-topping heyday, when she became the unlikely darling of Philly sports fans.

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In response to fan apathy during the National Anthem, the Flyers shook things up and began playing Kate Smith's classic recording of "God Bless America" before some games. And somehow it brought good luck. Almost every time that song played, the Flyers won. Within a few years, the tradition became legend.

 

By the start of the 1973-74 season, the Flyers had emerged as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. The Flyers flew Kate in to sing live at the home opener, and the crowd went bonkers (and the Flyers won the game 2-0). The city embraced Kate as one of its own, and she in turn became a devoted Flyers fan, captivated by the spirit and grit of the Broad Street Bullies.

 

Kate would  go on to appear in person at crucial moments during the Flyers Stanley Cup years - like on May 19, 1974, the date the Flyers won their first Cup. The following season, when she visited the Spectrum for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals, New York Islanders captain Ed Westfall presented her with a bouquet of flowers (which she graciously accepted) in the hope of breaking the spell - but to no avail.

 

Kate Smith’s legacy in Philadelphia was cemented with a statue outside the Spectrum, a symbol of the city’s love for both its sports and the woman who had given them a soundtrack of hope and pride. But then a ridiculous controversy over supposedly "racist" lyrics from a 1930s-era song led to the statue’s removal - a boneheaded decision that stirred deep emotions.

 

Many Flyers fans saw the move as erasing a cherished part of their history, and the reaction was swift and overwhelmingly opposed. To them, Kate was not just a singer - she was family, and her voice had become part of their identity.

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Perhaps, as the Flyers seem poised to return to greatness, the team will come to its senses and bring the Kate Smith statue back home for a joyful unveiling ceremony.

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50 years later, Flyers fans still fondly remember Kate Smith. Her rendition of "God Bless America" still plays in hearts across the city. Hers was the voice that united generations, that inspired wins, and that echoed through South Philly like a national anthem of its own.

 

Kate Smith may have started as the Songbird of the South. But in Philadelphia, she became something even greater - the voice of a city’s spirit.