Cal Smith emerged from Ernest Tubb's Texas Troubadours and got his first solo recording contract with the help of his boss, signing for Kapp Records in 1966. He had a few minor chart hits, then in late 1970 he changed to Decca and started having major success in the following years, with three of his releases even reaching the #1 position: \"The Lord Knows I'm Drinking\" (1973), \"Country Bumpkin\" (1974) and \"It's Time To Pay The Fiddler\" (1975).