Lance Smith

Lance Smith was born in Huntsville, AL and 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 tell. This is where Lance first found his love for books, poetry and movies. Twenty years later, Lance finds himself as a successful actor, TV personality and children s author, 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 must have just been a phase he was going through. Since the lion pipe dream Lance has been busy hosting CMT s highest rated television show, Top 20 Countdown, as well as penning his debut children s book, The Old Man and the Cat. Close to the end of high school, Lance was asked to perform in The Passion Play. After the 20 plus performances 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 (CMT), 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, seven years later, you can find Lance hosting a variety of shows on one of the fastest growing networks on television. Lance currently hosts CMT s highest rated show Top 20 Countdown, and is a correspondent on Insider. He also has his own syndicated radio, airing on satellite radio every Tuesday and is a children s author. Lance s debut children s book, The Old Man and the Cat, will be released in October. 10% of all book sales will go to the Boys and Girls Club of America.