Smash was seen as an opportunity for greater exposure and sales for both newly-signed talent and for independently cut masters.
[1] In the summer of 1961, the label achieved its first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, "Wooden Heart," by Joe Dowell.
[3] Singleton was interested in Southern styles, and had recruited east Texas's Big Bopper and Johnny Preston to the parent label.
[4] Eventually, Smash Records' roster expanded to include artists from other music genres, such as Frankie Valli, James Brown, Bruce Channel, Roger Miller, The Left Banke, Bill Justis, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Smash also released three of Brown's vocal recordings, including his 1964 proto-funk single "Out of Sight".