 Smith and Schmidt formed The Poor Girls with Pam Johnson and Esta Kerr in 1965, while studying at Litchfield Junior High School, the first significant rock band to come from Akron and the first to consist only of women.They played regularly, were profiled by Jane Scott in "The Plain Dealer", and opened for bands such as Cream and Steppenwolf.The group continued during their time at Firestone High School, until splitting up in 1969.