I enjoyed that - so, how was the show?
-
LIVE: Sydney v Port Adelaide - 7:40 / 7:10 Fri
Squiggle tips Swans at 57% chance -- What's your tip? -- Teams on Thurs »
-
LIVE: Geelong v Brisbane Lions - 7:30PM Sat
Squiggle tips Cats at 54% chance -- What's your tip? -- Teams on Thurs »
-
Weekly Prize - Join Any Time - Tip Prelim Finals
The Golden Ticket - MCG and Marvel Medallion Club tickets and Corporate Box tickets at the Gabba, MCG and Marvel.
Round SF Winner: And_ROOS
-
AFLW 2024 - Round 4 - Chat, game threads, injury lists, team lineups and more.
Country Music
- Thread starter Mitchell Madness
- Start date
- Tagged users None
I enjoyed that - so, how was the show?
Short, but good. They probably don't have alot of songs yet.
Sound was not perfect but it worked.
I'm finally back for the next country music history instalment - again going back to the start of the 1980's, this time with an artist who first made his mark as a songwriter but determined to make it a performer. And just like our last features artist, Razzie Bailey, he found "overnight success" as a performer, not just a songwriter, after some 20 years in the business. But once he broke through to major commercial success, he sustained his success all the way through the 1980's, his chart success rivalled by a solo artist by Ronnie Milsap (posts # 732-737) and the band Alabama (#1,009-1,016). He has influenced today's generation of country singers - one in particular. He also stands out for performing using all his 3 names.
Born Earl Conley in the once important Ohio River town Portsmouth, Ohio in 1941 the 3rd of 8 children in an and grew up in the hardscrabble Ohio working class iron and steel factory town just as it commenced its long decline to a rust belt town, losing over half its population. The son of a railroad man, he showed his creative bent early - but painting was his first love, a passion that began at age 10. It was also his way out of a town in decline and when his father lost his railway job when Earl was 14, thanks to the rise of road transport which bypassed the toen, he was more than ready to live with his sister in the much bigger Dayton, Ohio, where he continued to paint and learn more about the art that seemed to direct his life.
Upon high school graduation, Earl seem prepared to accept an art scholarship at a local college but at the last minute, doubting his ability to earn a sufficient livelihood through art painting, he instead opted to join the army. It was there he found a different creative outlet as a member of a Christian-influenced trio, his musical talent and vocal ability were first realised. As he continued to perform, Earl’s feelings towards the country music his father had played for him as a child grew stronger and seemed to take a hold of him. He also figured that entertaining wasn’t a bad way to make a living.
This new found inspiration fuelled the young Conley to seek an education in country music, a love he inherited from his father. Recordings by legends Hank Williams, Ray Price, Buck Owens and George Jones, Ray were the basis of this education, serving as a solid foundation for Conley, who, further showing his creative side, began to write songs around this early period. Following his Army discharge in 1968, Conley came to central Tennessee, working a series of blue-collar day jobs and commuting to Nashville, playing in bars and honkytonks at night, hoping, like so many others, to be noticed. In 1971 he made his Nashville recording debut coupling his version of The Band's 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down' with his own self-penned 'River Of Teardrops'. Released by the small local label Prize Records. The single quickly disappeared, failing to make any kind of impact.
With success eluding him during every Nashville visit, Conley, at age 30, moved down to Huntsville, Alabama in 1971 to work in a steel mill. But while there, playing at nights in local bars, he finally got noticed by producer Nelson Larkin, who got him signed to the independent label GRT in 1974. Over the next 2 years, he released 4 singles on the label, all self-penned - 'I Have Loved You Girl (But Not Like This Before)', a country-soul ballad, reached # 87 in 1975 (8 years later he re-recorded the song for RCA, which peaked at # 2). He fared a little better with 'High And Wild' going to # 67 and 'Queen Of New Orleans' at # 77 for GRT.
Nelson Larkin introduced Conley to Mel Street's producer, Dick Heard (who wrote and produced 'Kentucky Rain' for Elvis, amongst other hits), in Nashville. This led to Earl moving back to Nashville. co-writing with Heard and being signed to a publishing contract by Larkin. Influenced by everyone from Hank Williams to the Eagles, Conley delved into the details of songwriting, trying to learn the craft by following the "rules and regulations" of the often formulaic Music Row commercial songwriting community. Eventually, torn by the limits of the "rules" he found his own niche by breaking many of those same rules, his lyrics often going beyond the formula, exploring the contradictions and paradoxes of love, lust, desire and infidelities.
Though his own modest chart success was respectable for a still largely unknown artist (at least unknown to the wider public, though by now imbedded within the industry as a songwriter), Conley was eclipsed by other artists who were having hits with his songs. Larkin gave his brother Billy, 'Leave It Up To Me', which became the first Conley song to reach the Top 20. It was followed shortly afterwards in 1975 by Mel Street’s # 13 hit 'Smokey Mountain Memories' (see post # 628), a co-write with Dick Heard, and then came Conway Twitty’s version of 'This Time I’ve Hurt Her (More Than She Loves Me)', which went all the way to # 1 in early 1976. Now as this song wasn't amongst my Conway Twitty song selection (posts # 514-520) - Twitty being country music's biggest selling 1970's star and I just couldn't fit all his 45 # 1 hits in - and also to emphasise the point (as I've done with some other featured artists) that at this early stage in his career, Conley was better known as a songwriter than as an entertainer, I thought I'd start Conly's song selection with this 1976 # 1 hit he wrote for Twitty -
Despite his new found success as a writer of hits, Conley, like other songwriters before him like Whispering Bill Anderson (# 449-454), Tom T Hall (# 611-617), Kris Kristofferson (# 661-667), Willie Nelson (# 782-793), Rodney Crowell, Matraca Berd, Chris Stapleton and Natalie Hemby, amongst others, Conley was still determined to make it as an entertainer in his own right. In 1977, Conley signed with Warner Bros. By the end of 1977, he had begun performing and releasing records under his full name, Earl Thomas Conley and in early 1979 he had his first Top 40 hit, 'Dreamin’s All I Do'. However, none of his Warner singles became big hits, and he left the label at the end of 1979 with his recordings now released by his producers Nelson Larkin’s own label, Sunbird Records. This led to the release of "Blue Pearl", his first album which included his version of 'This Time I Hurt Her (More Than She Loves Me) the chart-topping song he’d written for Conway Twitty as per above plus four of the songs from his stint on Warner Bros.
All of the songs on Conley's 1980's 'Blue Pearl' album were self-penned, many dealing with the complications of love, drinking or a mixture of the two. This is the album that earned Conley the thinking-man label. 'Middle-Age Madness' and 'Blue and Green' stand out as classically written profiles of people in pain. Though the themes used were far from original for country music, the musicianship and vocal work were assured and confidently professional for a debut album - not so surprising given that Conley, at age 40, had chalked some 20 years of experience either full or part-time in the industry.
Conley’s first single for Sunbird, 'Silent Treatment' from the "Blue Pearl " album, was an immediate Top 10 hit in late 1980, reaching # 7. A mid-tempo ballad about a woman giving her guy the cold shoulder, a tactic he says is “... working on me ...", ushered in a decade of chart dominance began with one of Conley’s finest in-studio performances as a vocal stylist. It also sets the pace for a Conley playlist that often deals with matters of the heart. -
Conley than had a stroke of luck when major label RCA bought out Sunbird, including all of its recordings.Following this, RCA, impressed with Conleys debut album, signed Conley to a long-term deal. Conley's first album for RCA, "Fire And Smoke", released in 1981, utilised all the Sunbird recordings as his first session for RCA didn’t take place until 1982. It was jointly produced by Nelson Larkin and Earl. The 2nd single and title track "Fire And Smoke" (previously included in the "Blue Pearl" album),went all the way to # 1 early in 1981, marking Conley's entry into a new realm of stardom. 'Fire And Smoke' benefits from being the work of a fully realised, mature artist who had already established a signature sound and a radio friendly writing style. It’s one of those country songs that makes one wonder why nobody had ever written it before, contrasting the fiery passion of a love affair with the storm of heartache that extinguishes it -
".." But if there’s fire and smoke / Ooh, what a rush I got when your love was hot /
Oh, but I couldn’t see that when the flame burned out / You’d leave a cold dark cloud, a raining down on me ..." -
At the end of 1981, Billboard named 'Fire And Smoke' as the #1 charting song for the year.
Also from the album, 'Tell Me Why' reached # 10 in late 1981, followed shortly afterwards by the # 16 'After The Love Slips Away' - but here I'm selecting it's hard core country B-side. As mentioned above, one of Conley’s first big breaks in the ‘70s came after this co-write 'Smokey Mountain Memories' became a 1975 hit for the hard core honky tonker, Mel Street. Conley’s own bluegrass-inspired recording proves his vocal delivery and lyrical style could handle more than the post-Urban Cowboy pop-country -
Thanks to the success of the 1981 'Fire And Smoke' album, and the insightful lyrics of his self-penned hits, Earl Thomas Conley songs picked up the label "thinking man's country", a label that stuck with him even as his music became decidedly aimed at the commercial market through to the mid 1980's.
As Conley soon found out, one downside of stardom for a songwriter signed to a major label is the demand to have the next album out there to the market while you're running hot. The difficulty for a songwriter is in continuously coming up with new commercial hit songs - and, like most other artists who found themselves in this situation, Conley turned to songs written by others - in his case, his fellow Nashville based songwriters he knew well - to fill out some of his next album.
Written by Elaine Lifton, Gloria Nissenson and jazz great Lee Ritenour and released in 1982 as the first single from the "Somewhere Between Right and Wrong" album, 'Heavenly Bodies' reached #8. Here, Conley shows he also had a lighter side, having a very excellent night out in a dream bar chasing a batch of willing gorgeous honky tonk angels - or are they chasing him, seemingly being the only male at the bar. So he cheekily, cheerily or cheesily likens this bevy of honky tonk angels to stargazing in this cross between easy listening pop and Tex-Mex country music, but all just a good bit of fun, no doubt best experienced live -
So that's today's quota, with Earl Thomas Conley becoming another country music entertainer to finally earn stardom at a mature age - in his case at age 40 - after some 20 years of striving - another example of authentic country music being best appreciated with some life experience - good and bad - behind ones self. Tomorrow (hopefully) will see more from Conley's 1982 "Somewhere Between Right and Wrong" album and beyond.
One last thing for today - technically Conley was unusual for a country singer as he wasn't quite from the official South, being born and raised in Ohio. However, his home city of Portsmouth was just an bridge across the Ohio River from the official South of Kentucky. Also, this region at the Southern edge of Ohio was originally mostly settled by Southerners and though I haven't delved into his parents background and ancestry, they were surely Southerners. Why am I so sure!? Simple - it's because they named their third child Earle - a name very common, even synonymous with the South - and just about unused everywhere else! The great, just departed, actor James Earl Jones, who was born in the Mississippi delta is just one other example, amongst many others, of this fact.
Born Earl Conley in the once important Ohio River town Portsmouth, Ohio in 1941 the 3rd of 8 children in an and grew up in the hardscrabble Ohio working class iron and steel factory town just as it commenced its long decline to a rust belt town, losing over half its population. The son of a railroad man, he showed his creative bent early - but painting was his first love, a passion that began at age 10. It was also his way out of a town in decline and when his father lost his railway job when Earl was 14, thanks to the rise of road transport which bypassed the toen, he was more than ready to live with his sister in the much bigger Dayton, Ohio, where he continued to paint and learn more about the art that seemed to direct his life.
Upon high school graduation, Earl seem prepared to accept an art scholarship at a local college but at the last minute, doubting his ability to earn a sufficient livelihood through art painting, he instead opted to join the army. It was there he found a different creative outlet as a member of a Christian-influenced trio, his musical talent and vocal ability were first realised. As he continued to perform, Earl’s feelings towards the country music his father had played for him as a child grew stronger and seemed to take a hold of him. He also figured that entertaining wasn’t a bad way to make a living.
This new found inspiration fuelled the young Conley to seek an education in country music, a love he inherited from his father. Recordings by legends Hank Williams, Ray Price, Buck Owens and George Jones, Ray were the basis of this education, serving as a solid foundation for Conley, who, further showing his creative side, began to write songs around this early period. Following his Army discharge in 1968, Conley came to central Tennessee, working a series of blue-collar day jobs and commuting to Nashville, playing in bars and honkytonks at night, hoping, like so many others, to be noticed. In 1971 he made his Nashville recording debut coupling his version of The Band's 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down' with his own self-penned 'River Of Teardrops'. Released by the small local label Prize Records. The single quickly disappeared, failing to make any kind of impact.
With success eluding him during every Nashville visit, Conley, at age 30, moved down to Huntsville, Alabama in 1971 to work in a steel mill. But while there, playing at nights in local bars, he finally got noticed by producer Nelson Larkin, who got him signed to the independent label GRT in 1974. Over the next 2 years, he released 4 singles on the label, all self-penned - 'I Have Loved You Girl (But Not Like This Before)', a country-soul ballad, reached # 87 in 1975 (8 years later he re-recorded the song for RCA, which peaked at # 2). He fared a little better with 'High And Wild' going to # 67 and 'Queen Of New Orleans' at # 77 for GRT.
Nelson Larkin introduced Conley to Mel Street's producer, Dick Heard (who wrote and produced 'Kentucky Rain' for Elvis, amongst other hits), in Nashville. This led to Earl moving back to Nashville. co-writing with Heard and being signed to a publishing contract by Larkin. Influenced by everyone from Hank Williams to the Eagles, Conley delved into the details of songwriting, trying to learn the craft by following the "rules and regulations" of the often formulaic Music Row commercial songwriting community. Eventually, torn by the limits of the "rules" he found his own niche by breaking many of those same rules, his lyrics often going beyond the formula, exploring the contradictions and paradoxes of love, lust, desire and infidelities.
Though his own modest chart success was respectable for a still largely unknown artist (at least unknown to the wider public, though by now imbedded within the industry as a songwriter), Conley was eclipsed by other artists who were having hits with his songs. Larkin gave his brother Billy, 'Leave It Up To Me', which became the first Conley song to reach the Top 20. It was followed shortly afterwards in 1975 by Mel Street’s # 13 hit 'Smokey Mountain Memories' (see post # 628), a co-write with Dick Heard, and then came Conway Twitty’s version of 'This Time I’ve Hurt Her (More Than She Loves Me)', which went all the way to # 1 in early 1976. Now as this song wasn't amongst my Conway Twitty song selection (posts # 514-520) - Twitty being country music's biggest selling 1970's star and I just couldn't fit all his 45 # 1 hits in - and also to emphasise the point (as I've done with some other featured artists) that at this early stage in his career, Conley was better known as a songwriter than as an entertainer, I thought I'd start Conly's song selection with this 1976 # 1 hit he wrote for Twitty -
Despite his new found success as a writer of hits, Conley, like other songwriters before him like Whispering Bill Anderson (# 449-454), Tom T Hall (# 611-617), Kris Kristofferson (# 661-667), Willie Nelson (# 782-793), Rodney Crowell, Matraca Berd, Chris Stapleton and Natalie Hemby, amongst others, Conley was still determined to make it as an entertainer in his own right. In 1977, Conley signed with Warner Bros. By the end of 1977, he had begun performing and releasing records under his full name, Earl Thomas Conley and in early 1979 he had his first Top 40 hit, 'Dreamin’s All I Do'. However, none of his Warner singles became big hits, and he left the label at the end of 1979 with his recordings now released by his producers Nelson Larkin’s own label, Sunbird Records. This led to the release of "Blue Pearl", his first album which included his version of 'This Time I Hurt Her (More Than She Loves Me) the chart-topping song he’d written for Conway Twitty as per above plus four of the songs from his stint on Warner Bros.
All of the songs on Conley's 1980's 'Blue Pearl' album were self-penned, many dealing with the complications of love, drinking or a mixture of the two. This is the album that earned Conley the thinking-man label. 'Middle-Age Madness' and 'Blue and Green' stand out as classically written profiles of people in pain. Though the themes used were far from original for country music, the musicianship and vocal work were assured and confidently professional for a debut album - not so surprising given that Conley, at age 40, had chalked some 20 years of experience either full or part-time in the industry.
Conley’s first single for Sunbird, 'Silent Treatment' from the "Blue Pearl " album, was an immediate Top 10 hit in late 1980, reaching # 7. A mid-tempo ballad about a woman giving her guy the cold shoulder, a tactic he says is “... working on me ...", ushered in a decade of chart dominance began with one of Conley’s finest in-studio performances as a vocal stylist. It also sets the pace for a Conley playlist that often deals with matters of the heart. -
Conley than had a stroke of luck when major label RCA bought out Sunbird, including all of its recordings.Following this, RCA, impressed with Conleys debut album, signed Conley to a long-term deal. Conley's first album for RCA, "Fire And Smoke", released in 1981, utilised all the Sunbird recordings as his first session for RCA didn’t take place until 1982. It was jointly produced by Nelson Larkin and Earl. The 2nd single and title track "Fire And Smoke" (previously included in the "Blue Pearl" album),went all the way to # 1 early in 1981, marking Conley's entry into a new realm of stardom. 'Fire And Smoke' benefits from being the work of a fully realised, mature artist who had already established a signature sound and a radio friendly writing style. It’s one of those country songs that makes one wonder why nobody had ever written it before, contrasting the fiery passion of a love affair with the storm of heartache that extinguishes it -
".." But if there’s fire and smoke / Ooh, what a rush I got when your love was hot /
Oh, but I couldn’t see that when the flame burned out / You’d leave a cold dark cloud, a raining down on me ..." -
At the end of 1981, Billboard named 'Fire And Smoke' as the #1 charting song for the year.
Also from the album, 'Tell Me Why' reached # 10 in late 1981, followed shortly afterwards by the # 16 'After The Love Slips Away' - but here I'm selecting it's hard core country B-side. As mentioned above, one of Conley’s first big breaks in the ‘70s came after this co-write 'Smokey Mountain Memories' became a 1975 hit for the hard core honky tonker, Mel Street. Conley’s own bluegrass-inspired recording proves his vocal delivery and lyrical style could handle more than the post-Urban Cowboy pop-country -
Thanks to the success of the 1981 'Fire And Smoke' album, and the insightful lyrics of his self-penned hits, Earl Thomas Conley songs picked up the label "thinking man's country", a label that stuck with him even as his music became decidedly aimed at the commercial market through to the mid 1980's.
As Conley soon found out, one downside of stardom for a songwriter signed to a major label is the demand to have the next album out there to the market while you're running hot. The difficulty for a songwriter is in continuously coming up with new commercial hit songs - and, like most other artists who found themselves in this situation, Conley turned to songs written by others - in his case, his fellow Nashville based songwriters he knew well - to fill out some of his next album.
Written by Elaine Lifton, Gloria Nissenson and jazz great Lee Ritenour and released in 1982 as the first single from the "Somewhere Between Right and Wrong" album, 'Heavenly Bodies' reached #8. Here, Conley shows he also had a lighter side, having a very excellent night out in a dream bar chasing a batch of willing gorgeous honky tonk angels - or are they chasing him, seemingly being the only male at the bar. So he cheekily, cheerily or cheesily likens this bevy of honky tonk angels to stargazing in this cross between easy listening pop and Tex-Mex country music, but all just a good bit of fun, no doubt best experienced live -
So that's today's quota, with Earl Thomas Conley becoming another country music entertainer to finally earn stardom at a mature age - in his case at age 40 - after some 20 years of striving - another example of authentic country music being best appreciated with some life experience - good and bad - behind ones self. Tomorrow (hopefully) will see more from Conley's 1982 "Somewhere Between Right and Wrong" album and beyond.
One last thing for today - technically Conley was unusual for a country singer as he wasn't quite from the official South, being born and raised in Ohio. However, his home city of Portsmouth was just an bridge across the Ohio River from the official South of Kentucky. Also, this region at the Southern edge of Ohio was originally mostly settled by Southerners and though I haven't delved into his parents background and ancestry, they were surely Southerners. Why am I so sure!? Simple - it's because they named their third child Earle - a name very common, even synonymous with the South - and just about unused everywhere else! The great, just departed, actor James Earl Jones, who was born in the Mississippi delta is just one other example, amongst many others, of this fact.
Welcome back to 1982, with the 40 y.o. Earl Thomas Conley's career now going finally in full bore, following his 1981 # 1 hit, 'Fire And Smoke'. Conley, despite his years of performing in bars and honky tonks before his breakthrough to the big time, wasn't a heavy drinker, didn't smoke or take drugs and looked 10 years younger than his age. Serious in beicomi g the best musician he could be, and blessed with strong, warm vocals and control, he was pivotal in the development of a far more contemporary and younger country sound. He also avoided being pigeonholed into any particular sub-genre, his songs ranging from full on traditional country, including bluegrass, honky tonk to country rock, soul and, of course, pop-country, particularly in the early 1980's when this sound ruled. However, his superior lyrical songwriting and delivery lifted even his pop-country material above the average dross of that period.
Conley's albums were very successful, distinctively different, and groundbreaking. He understood as well as anyone you can't record the same album over and over again. He surrounded himself with great musicians to bring life to his songs - he was demanding in getting the best out of them as well as himself. Not bound by tradition, he implemented horns at times, saxophones, synthesizers, strings, long musical solos, great backing vocals (usually from his brother, Fred), and a powerful beat. He also wrote and sang very emotive songs, gut-wrenching songs, drinkin' songs and good time party songs.
Back to his music - 'Somewhere Between Right And Wring' was released in 1982 as Conley's 3rd studio album, once more produced by Nelson Larkin with a very commercial sound, but one which allowed Conley's strong, sultry voice, his greatest asset, to shine. It cemented his status as a rising star, with three Top 10 singles. The first single, ‘Heavenly Bodies’, yesterdays final selection, was the only song on the album Conley didn't write or co-write
The self-penned second single and title track from the album became Conley's 2nd # 1 hit. The Rocky and brassy production is a far cry from traditional country, but it fitted in nicely on early 1980's radio and it has actually not dated too badly. His vocal powers through an energetic production, but it would all be for naught without the brilliantly constructed lyrics. Here is a tongue-in-cheek tale about two fully realised adult characters who are navigating complex emotional feelings for each other (albeit in a light hearted way) while wrestling with the gray shades of morality that surround their situation. The woman in this song has agency. She’s cheating on an absentee husband that she hasn’t quite left yet. The ring on her finger makes it wrong, but the empty marriage it represents makes it right (well, just maybe, sort of). She’s stuck between the two -
" ...She said, “I can be had but I can’t be bought, / And I can be bad Lord if I don’t get caught /
But I’d rather be loved or left alone / Than be here in the middle somewhere between right and wrong ..”
Her own journey would’ve been enough to make for a compelling story song. Even with a man singing the words, a woman saying - “... You know I never was the kind to spread it around / but I’ll let you get to me as long as you don’t let me down ...” on mostly conservative country radio in 1982 stood out. But the song is ultimately sang from the perspective of the man she’s finding comfort with, and it’s creating a moral dilemma for him too - which provides for an ironic, and kinda amusing, plot twist -
"... It’s her kind of love keeps me coming back time after time / Just like a beautiful song I can’t get off my mind /
But I worry a lot about love you have to wait on / And I got second thoughts about a woman who is always gone ..." -
The above video was one of two seperate performances of this song on Austin City Limits on YouTube. I chose this one not really for the sound quality but for the sax!
'I Have Loved You Girl (But Not Like This Before) was first released the song in 1975 on the small GRT label winder the name Earl Conley, reaching # 87. In early1983, Conley re-released the song as the 3rd single from his "Somewhere Between Right and Wrong" album. The re-recording fared much better than its original, going to # 2 in 1983. It has a delicately tender vocal and lyric about taking things up to a new level -
At the time of his next album, Conley spoke of "programming" himself to write, and in setting the tone for his 1983 "Don't Make It Easy for Me" album, he programmed "radio friendly records" into his consciousness. The result was a wildly successful, driving, rock-inflected package that yielded no less than four # 1 singles - this being the first time an album had achieved that in any music genre or format. .
'Your Love's On The Line' was written by Conley along with Randy Scruggs, the son of bluegrass guitar legend, Earl (that Southern name again) Scruggs. and was released in 1983 as the lead single from the seminal "Don't Make It Easy for Me" album. It became Conley's 3rd # 1 hit - the first, but not the last, to be co-written with Scruggs - though Conley provided the lyrics in these. This cautionary tale, directed toward a man considering cheating on his wife, is fantastically written. I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts that many men of a certain age and experience uncomfortably relate to this song -
"... You still think your first love's the best in your life / When you know you should hurry, but you can't say goodbye /
And you know you can't go back / And feel like you're where you belong /
Now the sweet taste of freedom is hard to control / When the touch of a woman's so tender to hold /
She won't even let you remember how long you've been gone /
Boy, you've got your head in the clouds / And your heart in a bind
So how come you're feelin' so proud / When your love's on the line? ..." -
'Holding Her and Loving You' was co-written by Conley with Walt Aldridge and Tom Brasfield, released in 1983 as the 2nd single from the "Don't Make It Easy for Me" album, becoming Conley's 4th # 1, It's another that shows Conley's talent as a singer and a writer. He’s was very insightful about human nature, and there’s an intelligence to how he presents his ideas. But what made his work resonate so powerfully is his emotional intelligence, and it extended beyond his own songwriting and into the material he chooses from other writers. This one was co-written by Walt Aldridge, The writers capture the agony here of a man who has fallen in love with another woman, but is still deeply in love with the woman who has stood by his side during hard times. The lyrics captures both the euphoria of new love and the pain of hurting an old one - more often than not, both - in the same song. Nowhere is this clearer and more efficiently accomplished than this all too true to life tender ballad about the limbo between commitment to one person and passion for another.
This is just so much more nuanced and interesting than songs about just bedding lonely wives or perving at the hot neighbour etc. Every character – the protagonist, his wife, and his new flame – are sharply drawn and believable. There’s a moral dilemma here that is left unresolved, though it leans heavily toward the conclusion he’s going to stay in his marriage and let this new woman go. It’s an agonising choice, Very deeply relatable. and Conley’s pain and shame are palpable in his tortured vocal performance. There’s simply no way out of this situation without someone getting hurt, and Conley’s character will carry pain and loss in his heart forever, no matter what he does -
"... If she’d give me one good reason, I’d be gone / She ain’t done one thing wrong /
So don’t expect me just to walk out of the door / I still love her, but I love you more /
She’s been good to me when things weren’t goin’ right / She made my days long before you made my nights /
So the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do / Is holding her and loving you ..." -
'Don't Make It Easy For Me' was released in 1984 as the 3rd single and title track from the album for Conley's 5th # 1. An uptempo number that Conley delivers with flair, it has his signature turns of phrase that distinguish his songwriting from his peers. He brings a fresh perspective to the “hard to get” motif, where he’s actually asking the woman he’s wooing to hold him to a higher standard before welcoming his love. However, perhaps showing what pressure Conley was under to meet tight deadlines on his songwriting, a couplet here undercuts the overall message of the song, striking a discordant note - "... Down on my knees, take a look at me / I’m easy to please, why can’t you be ...". The rest of the song is all about wanting her to be hard to please, so these lines don’t quite fit with the rest of the lyric. That being said, it’s still a pretty good record, thanks to Conley’s delivery and the rambunctious production -
And so again we leave off, having seen Earl Thomas Conley ascend to be amongst, alongside Ronnie Milsap and Alabama, the biggest names in country music at the time. Just a mention now on Conley's personal life at this stage, of which detailed information has been hard to come by, despite their being loads on his music. Anyway, he was married to a Sandra Smith, presumably by 1964 when he had a son, followed by a daughter in 1965. But at some stage (I frankly don't know when), he was divorced - perhaps his first hand experience of the break-up of his marriage which helped his story-telling of such matters in his songwriting. He evidently remained on close, good terms with his 2 children by Sandra. Tomorrow should see Conley's commercial and artistic peak as we plough further into the 1980's
Conley's albums were very successful, distinctively different, and groundbreaking. He understood as well as anyone you can't record the same album over and over again. He surrounded himself with great musicians to bring life to his songs - he was demanding in getting the best out of them as well as himself. Not bound by tradition, he implemented horns at times, saxophones, synthesizers, strings, long musical solos, great backing vocals (usually from his brother, Fred), and a powerful beat. He also wrote and sang very emotive songs, gut-wrenching songs, drinkin' songs and good time party songs.
Back to his music - 'Somewhere Between Right And Wring' was released in 1982 as Conley's 3rd studio album, once more produced by Nelson Larkin with a very commercial sound, but one which allowed Conley's strong, sultry voice, his greatest asset, to shine. It cemented his status as a rising star, with three Top 10 singles. The first single, ‘Heavenly Bodies’, yesterdays final selection, was the only song on the album Conley didn't write or co-write
The self-penned second single and title track from the album became Conley's 2nd # 1 hit. The Rocky and brassy production is a far cry from traditional country, but it fitted in nicely on early 1980's radio and it has actually not dated too badly. His vocal powers through an energetic production, but it would all be for naught without the brilliantly constructed lyrics. Here is a tongue-in-cheek tale about two fully realised adult characters who are navigating complex emotional feelings for each other (albeit in a light hearted way) while wrestling with the gray shades of morality that surround their situation. The woman in this song has agency. She’s cheating on an absentee husband that she hasn’t quite left yet. The ring on her finger makes it wrong, but the empty marriage it represents makes it right (well, just maybe, sort of). She’s stuck between the two -
" ...She said, “I can be had but I can’t be bought, / And I can be bad Lord if I don’t get caught /
But I’d rather be loved or left alone / Than be here in the middle somewhere between right and wrong ..”
Her own journey would’ve been enough to make for a compelling story song. Even with a man singing the words, a woman saying - “... You know I never was the kind to spread it around / but I’ll let you get to me as long as you don’t let me down ...” on mostly conservative country radio in 1982 stood out. But the song is ultimately sang from the perspective of the man she’s finding comfort with, and it’s creating a moral dilemma for him too - which provides for an ironic, and kinda amusing, plot twist -
"... It’s her kind of love keeps me coming back time after time / Just like a beautiful song I can’t get off my mind /
But I worry a lot about love you have to wait on / And I got second thoughts about a woman who is always gone ..." -
The above video was one of two seperate performances of this song on Austin City Limits on YouTube. I chose this one not really for the sound quality but for the sax!
'I Have Loved You Girl (But Not Like This Before) was first released the song in 1975 on the small GRT label winder the name Earl Conley, reaching # 87. In early1983, Conley re-released the song as the 3rd single from his "Somewhere Between Right and Wrong" album. The re-recording fared much better than its original, going to # 2 in 1983. It has a delicately tender vocal and lyric about taking things up to a new level -
At the time of his next album, Conley spoke of "programming" himself to write, and in setting the tone for his 1983 "Don't Make It Easy for Me" album, he programmed "radio friendly records" into his consciousness. The result was a wildly successful, driving, rock-inflected package that yielded no less than four # 1 singles - this being the first time an album had achieved that in any music genre or format. .
'Your Love's On The Line' was written by Conley along with Randy Scruggs, the son of bluegrass guitar legend, Earl (that Southern name again) Scruggs. and was released in 1983 as the lead single from the seminal "Don't Make It Easy for Me" album. It became Conley's 3rd # 1 hit - the first, but not the last, to be co-written with Scruggs - though Conley provided the lyrics in these. This cautionary tale, directed toward a man considering cheating on his wife, is fantastically written. I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts that many men of a certain age and experience uncomfortably relate to this song -
"... You still think your first love's the best in your life / When you know you should hurry, but you can't say goodbye /
And you know you can't go back / And feel like you're where you belong /
Now the sweet taste of freedom is hard to control / When the touch of a woman's so tender to hold /
She won't even let you remember how long you've been gone /
Boy, you've got your head in the clouds / And your heart in a bind
So how come you're feelin' so proud / When your love's on the line? ..." -
'Holding Her and Loving You' was co-written by Conley with Walt Aldridge and Tom Brasfield, released in 1983 as the 2nd single from the "Don't Make It Easy for Me" album, becoming Conley's 4th # 1, It's another that shows Conley's talent as a singer and a writer. He’s was very insightful about human nature, and there’s an intelligence to how he presents his ideas. But what made his work resonate so powerfully is his emotional intelligence, and it extended beyond his own songwriting and into the material he chooses from other writers. This one was co-written by Walt Aldridge, The writers capture the agony here of a man who has fallen in love with another woman, but is still deeply in love with the woman who has stood by his side during hard times. The lyrics captures both the euphoria of new love and the pain of hurting an old one - more often than not, both - in the same song. Nowhere is this clearer and more efficiently accomplished than this all too true to life tender ballad about the limbo between commitment to one person and passion for another.
This is just so much more nuanced and interesting than songs about just bedding lonely wives or perving at the hot neighbour etc. Every character – the protagonist, his wife, and his new flame – are sharply drawn and believable. There’s a moral dilemma here that is left unresolved, though it leans heavily toward the conclusion he’s going to stay in his marriage and let this new woman go. It’s an agonising choice, Very deeply relatable. and Conley’s pain and shame are palpable in his tortured vocal performance. There’s simply no way out of this situation without someone getting hurt, and Conley’s character will carry pain and loss in his heart forever, no matter what he does -
"... If she’d give me one good reason, I’d be gone / She ain’t done one thing wrong /
So don’t expect me just to walk out of the door / I still love her, but I love you more /
She’s been good to me when things weren’t goin’ right / She made my days long before you made my nights /
So the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do / Is holding her and loving you ..." -
'Don't Make It Easy For Me' was released in 1984 as the 3rd single and title track from the album for Conley's 5th # 1. An uptempo number that Conley delivers with flair, it has his signature turns of phrase that distinguish his songwriting from his peers. He brings a fresh perspective to the “hard to get” motif, where he’s actually asking the woman he’s wooing to hold him to a higher standard before welcoming his love. However, perhaps showing what pressure Conley was under to meet tight deadlines on his songwriting, a couplet here undercuts the overall message of the song, striking a discordant note - "... Down on my knees, take a look at me / I’m easy to please, why can’t you be ...". The rest of the song is all about wanting her to be hard to please, so these lines don’t quite fit with the rest of the lyric. That being said, it’s still a pretty good record, thanks to Conley’s delivery and the rambunctious production -
And so again we leave off, having seen Earl Thomas Conley ascend to be amongst, alongside Ronnie Milsap and Alabama, the biggest names in country music at the time. Just a mention now on Conley's personal life at this stage, of which detailed information has been hard to come by, despite their being loads on his music. Anyway, he was married to a Sandra Smith, presumably by 1964 when he had a son, followed by a daughter in 1965. But at some stage (I frankly don't know when), he was divorced - perhaps his first hand experience of the break-up of his marriage which helped his story-telling of such matters in his songwriting. He evidently remained on close, good terms with his 2 children by Sandra. Tomorrow should see Conley's commercial and artistic peak as we plough further into the 1980's
We're now up to 1984 with Earl Thomas Conley - and just this morning I found out a bit more about his background from a 1998 Country Weekly magazine interview I stumbled upon. His father was a Southerner, just as I deduced at the end of my first Conley post 2 days back - based solely on the name Earl! But it also turns out (and I also strongly suspected this but found no evidence until today) his father was an amateur musician. He grew up in the Appalachians of Kentucky and finger-picked the banjo and guitar in a technique pioneered in that region, and also played piano and organ. But Conley said his father, "... never dreamed that you could make a living from music. He was a railroad worker and real old-fashioned...".
So Conley had been taught guitar by his father and exposed particularly to Appalachian bluegrass as well as Hank Williams country before he entered the Army and joined the band there. Years later, once Earl started making some serious money from his hit records, he bought his father a new truck. But for now, back to Conley's music, starting where we left off with another single from seminal "Don't Make It Easy for Me" album, and achieve what no musician from any genre had ever done before.
'Angel In Disguise', another co-write with Randy Scruggs, was released in 1984 as the 4th and final single from the album. The song reached #1 in 1984, Conley’s 6th. The idea for 'Angel In Disguise', about a man who finds his fling has turned out to be something much more, came about when RCA execs Randy Goodman and Joe Galante were in a Nashville nightclub doing what many record industry people did in those days – listening to new singers, scouting for perhaps the next big country music star to sign to their label. While Goodman and Galante were watching the performances, for some reason they became very impressed with the waitress who was serving them. By the end of the evening (no doubt with a few drinks under their belt), they were referring to the waitress as an “Angel In Disguise”.
The next day, they related these events to Conley and the description of the waitress – the phrase “angel in disguise” – struck a chord with him. Earl thought it might be a good title to write a song around. He teamed with Randy Scruggs and hatched an idea for some lyrics. They also came up with an unusual keyboard riff in their melody that producer Nelson Larkin liked very much. Larkin claims that Conley and Scruggs used to bring in the worst demos for him to listen to when they wrote together. Sometimes it was hard to know what you had until you got in the studio, but Nelson credits the keyboard player for bringing it all together, providing the distinguishable instrumentation that turned 'Angel In Disguise' into a big hit. Oh, and Larkin says that Earl sang it well, too!
Well that's the story, as told by the producer, Mathew Larkin. But I really only included this song in the selection because of this story - and because it made recorded music history. For me, the lauded synthesizer arrangement is cold and tinny - then again I have a bias against the use of synthesisers in country music, but the sound of this song is hardly country. I also found Conley's vocals, usually strong and warm, is nasal and strained in this. The tempo is agonisingly slow and the song lacks charm, substance, and purpose. But go ahead and watch the video here. It’s hideous but well worth the chuckle. I’m glad it exists as an example typical of the era, but I'm guessing the song itself got to # 1 based on the 3 preceding high quality # 1 singles from the album. But that's just my opinions - yours may differ -
After 'Angel In Disguise' topped the chart in 1984, the RCA execs threw a massive party for Conley to celebrate a milestone that no one in any genre or field of music had ever been able to achieve before - four # 1 hits from the one L.P.
If 'Angel In Disguise' doesn't appeal to you like it didn't to me, never mind - the B-side 'Crowd Around The Corner' goes a long way to make up for it, with a meaningful country song. I've twice now in this history, featured a 2020 song written by David Bellamy and performed by the Bellamy Brothers (# 987) and John Anderson (# 1,040) - 'There Ain't No Country Music For Old Men'. But here, Conley has a song he wrote for specifically for old men - and dedicated it to his grandfather “Preacher Davis". It captures the universal themes of aging, nostalgia and the quest for belonging. The old man’s wanderings could also serve as a metaphor for our own journeys through life, seeking moments of quiet reflection amidst the bustling world - especially as we ourselves, remorselessly age -
"Those stormy years leave deep and endless trails across his face / He'll wander back when morning rolls around /
For it's an old man's right to spend his life just searching for a place / Where he can sit and watch the sun go down ..." -
'Love Don't Care (Whose Heart It Breaks)', another co-write with Randy Scruggs, was released in 1985 as the third and final single from the "Treadin' Water" album. Chock full of the sharp songwriting and robust singing that have characterised all of Conley’s best work so far, it became Conley's 9th 1 hit with a song in which the singer has had his heart broken by a girl that he finds beyond compare with anyone else - but despairing that while he is devastated, she doesn't even care.
Though by now, country music had left behind its pop-country urban cowboy era in favour of the Neo-Traditionalists (whose artists haven't yer entered this history), the background vocalists here coming in for the chorus, tend to run rough shod over Conley, messing up the song’s rhythm and lyrical flow. Perhaps the new traditionalist sound that had just swept through from Texas into Nashville was so unadorned compared to what came before it, that producers and established stars were still nervous about removing too many sweeteners.
The arrangement itself is mercifully free of Urban Cowboy elements, with the glaring exception of those background singers), but to be fair, those had been around long before Urban Cowboy and were likely at this stage a hard habit to break, especially for a well established stars like the 44 y.o. Conley, as that sound was largely synonymous with Nashville up until that point -
"I'm a lonely rider / She's the sole survivor of this love affair / But she don't care /
She's a real heart breaker / And I can't find a taker / No, that can compare / 'Cause she's so rare ..." -
Earl Thomas Conley reached the peak of his popularity as he released his "Greatest Hits" album in late 1985, which actually included 2 new singles - so at the time the album was released, these 2 new songs weren't hits at all - but, never mind, they both indeed went on to become 2 more # 1 hits for Conley. The new material, coupled with the classic hits, were enough to make "Greatest Hits" Conley's first # 1 album, after his 2 previous albums had reached # 3 and # 2 respectively. It sold consistently well throughout the year, becoming the # 2 selling album of 1986.
The first new # 1 single from Conley’s "Greatest Hits" collection, 'Nobody Falls Like a Fool' is every bit the peer of Conley’s strongest hits to date, proving he could pick sophisticated material as well as he could write it. What makes this song so interesting is how it approaches the titular fool. Yes, nobody falls like a fool, as they’re more likely to get hurt - but they’re also more likely to love deeply and end up in a great romance because they’re willing to risk getting hurt (ironically, here we have the opposite of 'Love Don't Care Whose Heart It Breaks)'. We don’t find out what happens to this fool - the song is all about the falling. But there’s no doubt this bloke will pick himself up annd eventually find a love to last a lifetime, even if that doesn’t happen this time around - because he’s willing to take the fall -
"Well I've been around / I've taken chances before / But this time I'm hopin' for more / You're makin' it easy /
Nobody falls like a fool / Nobody loves like a believer / After so many dreams have fallen through /
It's time that one came true ..." -
'Once In A Blue Moon', the second new # 1 single from Conley’s "Greatest Hits" album, his 11th overall, was co-written by Conley with Tom Brasfield and Robert Byrne and was another to claim the # 1 spot in 1986. It's is a great example of how a strong vocalist can elevate middling material. It has its heart in the right place, but it’s heavy on self-degradation and light on self-awareness - which the music video makes clear The narrator is beating himself up for being a bad partner who only delivers what his woman needs every “once in a blue moon” yet he seems oblivious to the solution being entirely in his own hands - just stop being a lazy loser and clean up your act
It works overall because Conley’s interpretation of the material is enough to suggest that such an epiphany is on the horizon. He aches and breaks in all of the right places, adding a sense of self-loathing that makes it feel like we’re meeting him at rock bottom and he’s now ready to turn the corner and treat his partner with the love and respect she deserves ..l though one might question why she doesn't do better for herself, but then again some don't. It’s a remarkable feat of singing because none of that is on the page. Conley is able to create it through his innate sense of empathy and his fine interpretive gifts. The song itself here starts 49 seconds into the video, after some scene-setting -
"... She's starving for affection, so hungry for loves touch / But she only hears "I love you" when we're making love /
Lord, I'll always wonder why she love me so much / And the best I'll ever do won't be enough /
So I'll just thank my lucky stars above ..." -
So that's all for today, where we leave off in 1986 with Earl Thomas Conley, now aged 45, at his commercial peak, having chalked up 11 #1 hits in 5 years, including his achievement of four # 1 singles from one album, the first to ever to so in any genre. But though we can mark 1986 as Conley's commercial peak, I would agree in his later assessment that his artistic peak came after 1986, with a change in direction in his music. This we shall see tomorrow.
So Conley had been taught guitar by his father and exposed particularly to Appalachian bluegrass as well as Hank Williams country before he entered the Army and joined the band there. Years later, once Earl started making some serious money from his hit records, he bought his father a new truck. But for now, back to Conley's music, starting where we left off with another single from seminal "Don't Make It Easy for Me" album, and achieve what no musician from any genre had ever done before.
'Angel In Disguise', another co-write with Randy Scruggs, was released in 1984 as the 4th and final single from the album. The song reached #1 in 1984, Conley’s 6th. The idea for 'Angel In Disguise', about a man who finds his fling has turned out to be something much more, came about when RCA execs Randy Goodman and Joe Galante were in a Nashville nightclub doing what many record industry people did in those days – listening to new singers, scouting for perhaps the next big country music star to sign to their label. While Goodman and Galante were watching the performances, for some reason they became very impressed with the waitress who was serving them. By the end of the evening (no doubt with a few drinks under their belt), they were referring to the waitress as an “Angel In Disguise”.
The next day, they related these events to Conley and the description of the waitress – the phrase “angel in disguise” – struck a chord with him. Earl thought it might be a good title to write a song around. He teamed with Randy Scruggs and hatched an idea for some lyrics. They also came up with an unusual keyboard riff in their melody that producer Nelson Larkin liked very much. Larkin claims that Conley and Scruggs used to bring in the worst demos for him to listen to when they wrote together. Sometimes it was hard to know what you had until you got in the studio, but Nelson credits the keyboard player for bringing it all together, providing the distinguishable instrumentation that turned 'Angel In Disguise' into a big hit. Oh, and Larkin says that Earl sang it well, too!
Well that's the story, as told by the producer, Mathew Larkin. But I really only included this song in the selection because of this story - and because it made recorded music history. For me, the lauded synthesizer arrangement is cold and tinny - then again I have a bias against the use of synthesisers in country music, but the sound of this song is hardly country. I also found Conley's vocals, usually strong and warm, is nasal and strained in this. The tempo is agonisingly slow and the song lacks charm, substance, and purpose. But go ahead and watch the video here. It’s hideous but well worth the chuckle. I’m glad it exists as an example typical of the era, but I'm guessing the song itself got to # 1 based on the 3 preceding high quality # 1 singles from the album. But that's just my opinions - yours may differ -
After 'Angel In Disguise' topped the chart in 1984, the RCA execs threw a massive party for Conley to celebrate a milestone that no one in any genre or field of music had ever been able to achieve before - four # 1 hits from the one L.P.
If 'Angel In Disguise' doesn't appeal to you like it didn't to me, never mind - the B-side 'Crowd Around The Corner' goes a long way to make up for it, with a meaningful country song. I've twice now in this history, featured a 2020 song written by David Bellamy and performed by the Bellamy Brothers (# 987) and John Anderson (# 1,040) - 'There Ain't No Country Music For Old Men'. But here, Conley has a song he wrote for specifically for old men - and dedicated it to his grandfather “Preacher Davis". It captures the universal themes of aging, nostalgia and the quest for belonging. The old man’s wanderings could also serve as a metaphor for our own journeys through life, seeking moments of quiet reflection amidst the bustling world - especially as we ourselves, remorselessly age -
"Those stormy years leave deep and endless trails across his face / He'll wander back when morning rolls around /
For it's an old man's right to spend his life just searching for a place / Where he can sit and watch the sun go down ..." -
'Love Don't Care (Whose Heart It Breaks)', another co-write with Randy Scruggs, was released in 1985 as the third and final single from the "Treadin' Water" album. Chock full of the sharp songwriting and robust singing that have characterised all of Conley’s best work so far, it became Conley's 9th 1 hit with a song in which the singer has had his heart broken by a girl that he finds beyond compare with anyone else - but despairing that while he is devastated, she doesn't even care.
Though by now, country music had left behind its pop-country urban cowboy era in favour of the Neo-Traditionalists (whose artists haven't yer entered this history), the background vocalists here coming in for the chorus, tend to run rough shod over Conley, messing up the song’s rhythm and lyrical flow. Perhaps the new traditionalist sound that had just swept through from Texas into Nashville was so unadorned compared to what came before it, that producers and established stars were still nervous about removing too many sweeteners.
The arrangement itself is mercifully free of Urban Cowboy elements, with the glaring exception of those background singers), but to be fair, those had been around long before Urban Cowboy and were likely at this stage a hard habit to break, especially for a well established stars like the 44 y.o. Conley, as that sound was largely synonymous with Nashville up until that point -
"I'm a lonely rider / She's the sole survivor of this love affair / But she don't care /
She's a real heart breaker / And I can't find a taker / No, that can compare / 'Cause she's so rare ..." -
Earl Thomas Conley reached the peak of his popularity as he released his "Greatest Hits" album in late 1985, which actually included 2 new singles - so at the time the album was released, these 2 new songs weren't hits at all - but, never mind, they both indeed went on to become 2 more # 1 hits for Conley. The new material, coupled with the classic hits, were enough to make "Greatest Hits" Conley's first # 1 album, after his 2 previous albums had reached # 3 and # 2 respectively. It sold consistently well throughout the year, becoming the # 2 selling album of 1986.
The first new # 1 single from Conley’s "Greatest Hits" collection, 'Nobody Falls Like a Fool' is every bit the peer of Conley’s strongest hits to date, proving he could pick sophisticated material as well as he could write it. What makes this song so interesting is how it approaches the titular fool. Yes, nobody falls like a fool, as they’re more likely to get hurt - but they’re also more likely to love deeply and end up in a great romance because they’re willing to risk getting hurt (ironically, here we have the opposite of 'Love Don't Care Whose Heart It Breaks)'. We don’t find out what happens to this fool - the song is all about the falling. But there’s no doubt this bloke will pick himself up annd eventually find a love to last a lifetime, even if that doesn’t happen this time around - because he’s willing to take the fall -
"Well I've been around / I've taken chances before / But this time I'm hopin' for more / You're makin' it easy /
Nobody falls like a fool / Nobody loves like a believer / After so many dreams have fallen through /
It's time that one came true ..." -
'Once In A Blue Moon', the second new # 1 single from Conley’s "Greatest Hits" album, his 11th overall, was co-written by Conley with Tom Brasfield and Robert Byrne and was another to claim the # 1 spot in 1986. It's is a great example of how a strong vocalist can elevate middling material. It has its heart in the right place, but it’s heavy on self-degradation and light on self-awareness - which the music video makes clear The narrator is beating himself up for being a bad partner who only delivers what his woman needs every “once in a blue moon” yet he seems oblivious to the solution being entirely in his own hands - just stop being a lazy loser and clean up your act
It works overall because Conley’s interpretation of the material is enough to suggest that such an epiphany is on the horizon. He aches and breaks in all of the right places, adding a sense of self-loathing that makes it feel like we’re meeting him at rock bottom and he’s now ready to turn the corner and treat his partner with the love and respect she deserves ..l though one might question why she doesn't do better for herself, but then again some don't. It’s a remarkable feat of singing because none of that is on the page. Conley is able to create it through his innate sense of empathy and his fine interpretive gifts. The song itself here starts 49 seconds into the video, after some scene-setting -
"... She's starving for affection, so hungry for loves touch / But she only hears "I love you" when we're making love /
Lord, I'll always wonder why she love me so much / And the best I'll ever do won't be enough /
So I'll just thank my lucky stars above ..." -
So that's all for today, where we leave off in 1986 with Earl Thomas Conley, now aged 45, at his commercial peak, having chalked up 11 #1 hits in 5 years, including his achievement of four # 1 singles from one album, the first to ever to so in any genre. But though we can mark 1986 as Conley's commercial peak, I would agree in his later assessment that his artistic peak came after 1986, with a change in direction in his music. This we shall see tomorrow.
Last edited:
Earl Thomas Conley was coming off another of his biggest hits 'Once In A Blue Moon' in 1986 (that we finished off yesterday with) when he readied his 6th album, "Too Many Times". It was his first album in 2 years, the longest he had gone without a proper studio album since his career began (as we saw yesterday, his "Greatest Hits" album contained just 2 new songs, albeit both became # 1 hits, hence I don't count it as a "proper" studio album). Mark Wright joined Nelson Larkin as co-producer, on what would be Conley's last top selling album, peaking at #3 in 1986
Conley broke new ground with 'Too Many Times' a duet with Pointer Sisters’ singer Anita Pointer. Written by Micheal Smotherman, Scott Page, and Tony McShear, it was released in July 1986 as the first single and title track from Conley's "Too Many Times" album. A # 2 hit in 1986, it was only Conley's third release from 1982 to 1989 to not top the charts. Anita Pointer came close to becoming the first Black woman have a # 1 country single.
'Too Many Times' is a contemplative, heartbreaking ballad about the passage of time and the regrets we carry -
"... A vow we take when we say forever / Left unattended just dies on the vine /
Now I wonder if forever wonders ever / If the world has turned too many times ..." -
Earl continued to defy the rules when he became the first and only country artist ever to appear on the popular R&B TV show Soul Train, then the longest-running nationally syndicated program in American TV history, with more than 1,100 episodes produced from 1971 to 2006.
The Pointer Sisters performed in a wide range of genres, mainly in R&B, soul, jazz and dance pop, but they also included some country - their 1974 single 'Fairytale', written by sisters Anita and Bonnie, was a country song that reached # 13 on the pop charts, and # 37 on the country chart. Based on this success, the group achieved the distinction of becoming the first Black group to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. In 1975, the Pointer Sisters won a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Group with Vocal, with Anita and Bonnie also receiving nominations for the Grammy Award for Best Country Song as songwriters of 'Fairytale'. The song was also recorded by Elvis Presley. Anita Pointer sadly passed way on New Years Eve, 31/12/2022, at age 74 from cancer.
The 'Too Many Times' single previewed the soul country feel of the "Too Many Times" album, and Conley goes all in on the sound with 'I Can’t Win For Losing You', Written by Robert Byrne and Rick Bowles and released in late 1986 as the 2nd single from the album, it was Conley's 12th # 1 single. As much as any song, it relies on Conley’s breathy, soulful style. It’s another heartbreak ballad, coming when still at his commercial peak. The musicians capture the feel of a Ronnie Milsap ballad (# 732-737), minus the signature piano. Conley demonstrates his versatility as a vocalist by adapting a similar singing style. He’s smooth as all get out on this one. The recording may arguably be a few beats too slow, undercuting the effective lyric, but if so, just by a little bit. It’s smart enough on paper to have been written by Conley himself - a compliment to the actual songwriters who tell a tale of a man who has clearly has regrets that bubble up when he bumps into his ex -
"... Now I'm still the same / Still raisin' Cain / Nobody's worried 'bout me /
I come and I go, just as I please / Since I set myself free / But I can't win for losin' you /
I just can't get over you / Bein' footloose and fancy free / Ain't all it's cracked up to be ..." -
'That Was A Close One', written by Robert Byrne, was released in 1987 as the 3rd single from the 'Too Many Times' album, becoming Conley's 13th # 1hit. The song i sright lyrically, and Conley does his best to deliver the emotional avoidance the storyline demands. But he’s got a tough enemy to overcome, and it’s the production. The pacing is awry and the desperate sadness of the lyrics gets completely lost. It’s not quite country and not quite adult contemporary, and sounds incomplete because it can’t decide on one approach and stick to it. But it’s otherwise a worthy song of a man afraid of being tied down by a woman, who "escapes" to keep his "freedom". But as he gets older, he pays the price for his freedom -
"... The winter of '79 so cold and lonely / I found a good woman she took me inside / And I swear to god I really tried /
And that was a close one / Will there ever be a love of my life / When I'm out of my prime and out of my mind ..."
'Right From The Start', written by Billy Herzig and Randy Watkins, was released in 1987 as the 4th single from the 'Too Many Times' album. The songs lyrics are in ironic contradiction of the previous single 'That Was A Close One' for here, I've have love and commitment from the start. Conley's in fine voice as nearly always, a production that slightly ups the tempo and allows Conley to dip into his more distinctive lower register. But the material isn’t up to the same level of his best work and he has to work a little to hard to sell the chorus, which is in desperate need of a hook. But obviously it was still good enough at the time to be Conley's 3rd # 1 (the other "only" reaching # 2) from his "Too Many Times" album and his 14th # 1 single overall -
On to 1988 and now we have a distinct change in direction in Conley's music, no doubt inspired and influenced by the now well entrenched neo-traditionalist movement, By his own later judgement, and one the critics generally agree with, Conley, at age 47, reached his artistic peak with 1988’s "The Heart Of It All", undoubtedly the finest album of his career. Just like his record breaking 1983 "Don't Make It Easy For Me" album, it produced 4 more # 1 hits, even though the album itself only reached a disappointing # 33. By this time he had finally stopped working with his long time producer, Nelson Larkin, preferring to collaborate with Randy Scruggs, which brought his music back to his country and r&b roots.
Conley's remarkable stretch of consecutive # 1 solo singles stretched to 13 with 'What She is (is a Woman in Love)”, written by Bob McDill and Paul Harrison and released in 1988 as the lead single from the "The Heart of It All". album. Conley's 14th # 1 overall.it's a warmly drawn character sketch of a woman who loves so unconditionally that she’ll give her man far more credit than he deserves. Conley’s sings with understatement over a beautiful piano track. Even the kicker is so subtle, coming almost as an aside in the bridge - hey, this guy is just like us. Maybe we should show some more appreciation for the women who are in love with us -
This was the first of the four # 1 hits from the 1988 "The Heart of it All" album, which will complete the incredible run of 16 consecutive # 1 solo singles. This is one of his best from that run. The rest will wait until tomorrow which will conclude the career and life of Earl Thomas Conley (a.k.a. ETC).
Conley broke new ground with 'Too Many Times' a duet with Pointer Sisters’ singer Anita Pointer. Written by Micheal Smotherman, Scott Page, and Tony McShear, it was released in July 1986 as the first single and title track from Conley's "Too Many Times" album. A # 2 hit in 1986, it was only Conley's third release from 1982 to 1989 to not top the charts. Anita Pointer came close to becoming the first Black woman have a # 1 country single.
'Too Many Times' is a contemplative, heartbreaking ballad about the passage of time and the regrets we carry -
"... A vow we take when we say forever / Left unattended just dies on the vine /
Now I wonder if forever wonders ever / If the world has turned too many times ..." -
Earl continued to defy the rules when he became the first and only country artist ever to appear on the popular R&B TV show Soul Train, then the longest-running nationally syndicated program in American TV history, with more than 1,100 episodes produced from 1971 to 2006.
The Pointer Sisters performed in a wide range of genres, mainly in R&B, soul, jazz and dance pop, but they also included some country - their 1974 single 'Fairytale', written by sisters Anita and Bonnie, was a country song that reached # 13 on the pop charts, and # 37 on the country chart. Based on this success, the group achieved the distinction of becoming the first Black group to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. In 1975, the Pointer Sisters won a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Group with Vocal, with Anita and Bonnie also receiving nominations for the Grammy Award for Best Country Song as songwriters of 'Fairytale'. The song was also recorded by Elvis Presley. Anita Pointer sadly passed way on New Years Eve, 31/12/2022, at age 74 from cancer.
The 'Too Many Times' single previewed the soul country feel of the "Too Many Times" album, and Conley goes all in on the sound with 'I Can’t Win For Losing You', Written by Robert Byrne and Rick Bowles and released in late 1986 as the 2nd single from the album, it was Conley's 12th # 1 single. As much as any song, it relies on Conley’s breathy, soulful style. It’s another heartbreak ballad, coming when still at his commercial peak. The musicians capture the feel of a Ronnie Milsap ballad (# 732-737), minus the signature piano. Conley demonstrates his versatility as a vocalist by adapting a similar singing style. He’s smooth as all get out on this one. The recording may arguably be a few beats too slow, undercuting the effective lyric, but if so, just by a little bit. It’s smart enough on paper to have been written by Conley himself - a compliment to the actual songwriters who tell a tale of a man who has clearly has regrets that bubble up when he bumps into his ex -
"... Now I'm still the same / Still raisin' Cain / Nobody's worried 'bout me /
I come and I go, just as I please / Since I set myself free / But I can't win for losin' you /
I just can't get over you / Bein' footloose and fancy free / Ain't all it's cracked up to be ..." -
'That Was A Close One', written by Robert Byrne, was released in 1987 as the 3rd single from the 'Too Many Times' album, becoming Conley's 13th # 1hit. The song i sright lyrically, and Conley does his best to deliver the emotional avoidance the storyline demands. But he’s got a tough enemy to overcome, and it’s the production. The pacing is awry and the desperate sadness of the lyrics gets completely lost. It’s not quite country and not quite adult contemporary, and sounds incomplete because it can’t decide on one approach and stick to it. But it’s otherwise a worthy song of a man afraid of being tied down by a woman, who "escapes" to keep his "freedom". But as he gets older, he pays the price for his freedom -
"... The winter of '79 so cold and lonely / I found a good woman she took me inside / And I swear to god I really tried /
And that was a close one / Will there ever be a love of my life / When I'm out of my prime and out of my mind ..."
'Right From The Start', written by Billy Herzig and Randy Watkins, was released in 1987 as the 4th single from the 'Too Many Times' album. The songs lyrics are in ironic contradiction of the previous single 'That Was A Close One' for here, I've have love and commitment from the start. Conley's in fine voice as nearly always, a production that slightly ups the tempo and allows Conley to dip into his more distinctive lower register. But the material isn’t up to the same level of his best work and he has to work a little to hard to sell the chorus, which is in desperate need of a hook. But obviously it was still good enough at the time to be Conley's 3rd # 1 (the other "only" reaching # 2) from his "Too Many Times" album and his 14th # 1 single overall -
On to 1988 and now we have a distinct change in direction in Conley's music, no doubt inspired and influenced by the now well entrenched neo-traditionalist movement, By his own later judgement, and one the critics generally agree with, Conley, at age 47, reached his artistic peak with 1988’s "The Heart Of It All", undoubtedly the finest album of his career. Just like his record breaking 1983 "Don't Make It Easy For Me" album, it produced 4 more # 1 hits, even though the album itself only reached a disappointing # 33. By this time he had finally stopped working with his long time producer, Nelson Larkin, preferring to collaborate with Randy Scruggs, which brought his music back to his country and r&b roots.
Conley's remarkable stretch of consecutive # 1 solo singles stretched to 13 with 'What She is (is a Woman in Love)”, written by Bob McDill and Paul Harrison and released in 1988 as the lead single from the "The Heart of It All". album. Conley's 14th # 1 overall.it's a warmly drawn character sketch of a woman who loves so unconditionally that she’ll give her man far more credit than he deserves. Conley’s sings with understatement over a beautiful piano track. Even the kicker is so subtle, coming almost as an aside in the bridge - hey, this guy is just like us. Maybe we should show some more appreciation for the women who are in love with us -
This was the first of the four # 1 hits from the 1988 "The Heart of it All" album, which will complete the incredible run of 16 consecutive # 1 solo singles. This is one of his best from that run. The rest will wait until tomorrow which will conclude the career and life of Earl Thomas Conley (a.k.a. ETC).
So today will conclude the focus on Earl Thomas Conley. In 1988, for the second single from "The Heart of It All". album, Conley teamed up with the angelic voice of Emmylou Harris (posts # 869-873) for this rootsy revision of the beautiful 1978 hit 'We Believe In Happy Endings', by the Tejano great, Johnny Rodriguez (post # 715), penned by Bob McDill. This revival of the Rodriguez hit was Harris' 7th and final # 1 single while for Conley, it was his 16th # 1
It’s one of those duets that is held back by the voices not quite blending well together. Harris is an all-star harmony vocalist, but she wasn’t a good fit for Conley’s own superb lead vocal style. They both had fantastic vocals when they’re singing alone, but they didn't sound tight as a duo. it's a beautiful song that works better as a solo record - Johnny Rodriguezs original remains my favourite, but nevertheless the duet added to the # 1 tallies of both Conley and Harris, both of whom were nearing the ends of their impressive runs on country radio and, hence, the charts -
For his most touching, insightful, song, Conley introduces a broken-hearted man, wrapped up in his internal dialogue about what he’ll say next to a former lover. 'What I'd Say', written by Robert Byrne and Will Robinson, was released in 1988 as the 3rd single from his "The Heart of It All" album. The song was Conley's 17th #1 hit (his 16th consecutive # 1). This is one of his very best ballads, reminiscent of his earlier work in its lyrical sophistication, but it’s elevated by the gravitas of an older singer. He has to communicate so many different emotions as he runs the gamut in his mind of everything he might say to his old flame. Conley is angry, hopeful, desperate, and indifferent, alternating between feelings with every line in the chorus. It’s a difficult tightrope to walk - and he does it flawlessly -
"..There's times I feel so angry, I'd put my fist right through the wall / Then there's times, I've come so close to giving you a call / I love you and I hate you all at the same time / I pray that you'll come back to me before I lose my mind ..." -
'What I'd Say' was covered by by Irish singer/songwriter Paul Harrington whose version was the title track of his debut album, reaching the Top 10 in 1991. It was also covered byGary Allan on his 2001 "Alright Guy" album and by Lorrie Morgan on her 2016 "Letting Go... Slow” album.
Friday - for obvious reasons - has been the subject of any number of up-tempo songs celebrating the end of the working week and the weekend to come - and none better, I reckon than the old 1960's classic from The Easybeats, 'Friday On My Mind'.To this, I would've added the Alan Jackson/Jimmy Buffet'It's Five O'Clock Somewhere', in which the drinks and good times start flowing at midday - a concept I thoroughly approve of and have partaken in at times over the years on a Friday - except it ain't got "Friday" nowhere in the title or lyrics - but when I listen to it, I always have Friday on my mind.
The rambunctious 'Finally Friday', written by Bobby Boyd, Warren Haynes, DeWayne Mize and Dennis Robbins, first appeared on Conley's "The Heart of It All" album, but not released as a single. It would be a single for George Jones in 1992. Conley's version is more restrained, but the accordion-led production lends it a happy Cajun feel which works pretty well -
George Jones 1992 cover of 'Finally Friday' was released as the B-side of his hit, 'I Don't Need A Rocking Chair'.
What would prove to be Conley’s very last #1 hit - his 18th, was the Thom Schuyler penned ‘Love Out Loud’. A more upbeat tempo enlivens a sincerely sung song about an inarticulate man who nevertheless loves his lady. It is my least favorite of the singles from "The Heart of It All" album, but still not a bad song, good enough to be the record equaling 4th # 1 from the' album, capping off Conley's domination of the charts through the 1980's -
The long run of #1 and # 2 hits, dating back to 1982’s ‘Somewhere Between Right And Wrong’ was to come to a juddering halt with "The Heart of It All" album’s 5th single, the soulful honky tonk ‘You Must Not Be Drinking Enough’ which, however, peaked at a very disappointing #26. It was the first time Conley had released more than 4 singles from one album, but the main problem was probably the underlying shifts in country radio. coming up.. ‘You Must Not Be Drinking Enough’ is actually a fine song which deserved better, with a more traditional country sound up with steel guitar - than much of Conley’s oeuvre (despite it being a Don Henley cover, one of 2 in the "The Heart of It All" album - the other being the title song).:
Conley had only 2 more top 10's, the last of which was the posthumous duet with Keith Whitley. Although Conley had recorded this duet with Whitley in 1987, it did not appear on an album until both Conley’s "Yours Truly" and Whitley’s posthumous "Kentucky Bluebird" arrived in 1991. Conley explains in the 1998 Country Weekly interview I referred to yesterday - "Shortly after Keith got a deal, he said, 'Man, if I can find the right song, would you mind singing with me? I said,'Heck no, I'd be glad to.' He found 'Brotherly Love', laid the tracks down and did his part while I was out on the road. Then I came iin and did my part". The song wasn't released until 1991, 2 years after Keith's tragic death from alcohol poisoning at age 34 and went to # 2. The tale of unconditional love between siblings became a heartfelt farewell to Whitley - -
Conley spoke of the special friendship he shared with the neo-traditionalist, Keith Whitley, despite their busy lives -
"... For two people who didn't see each other a whole lot, we connected. Everything he did, you could really feel it.That's what good music is all about".
By this time Conley had had enough of the treadmill of his career which was based around producing one radio hit after another. Issues of control in the studio fuelled his growing disenchantment with the politics of the music business as trouble began between him and his record label. - "Here's the way I look at it. Don't fix something that doesn't need to be fixed. I started working with Randy Scruggs and Emory Gordy Jr. and we did an album called "The Heart of It All". It was extremely well done as far as I'm concerned. After that album, the label started making a lot of decisions and I disagreed, and kept disagreeing. I couldn't work and felt like I was doing it to suit somebody else. It has to be done from an artist's point of view. Finally I said, 'Then I won't record anymore.' And I didn't".
Adding to this, mounting voice problems, for someone who relied on a strong, warm vocal, coupled with more than 200 touring dates a year, began to take a toll and led to rumours of throat cancer, but what doctors actually discovered were severe allergies that prevented the full use of his vocal cords. Conley's problems mounted with the death of his father -
"He passed away and I thought, 'Damn - all the things I was going to do with him'.' I never got a chance to. So that, along with these allergies and working that many shows, I just said, 'To hell with this music. I've missed out on everything in this world and it's killing me'. I really started shutting down then. I went to the doctor because it got to the point where I couldn't sing. The doctor discovered a pinhead-size polyp on one of my vocal cords. The right-hand side of my voice box was inflamed. He was afraid it might be cancerous, but it wasn't".
Financial woes (he spent as much ans he earned) also contributed to this tailspin, leaving Conley mentally, physically, emotionally and creatively drained. So, in true Conley fashion, he refused to compromise and in 1992 took an indefinite break, which led to a 7 year hiatus from the studio. He was then nearly sued when he lost his voice - "I said, 'I can't sing. I've got to cancel these dates.' Well, I couldn't. So I went out on stage and tried to sing. You talk about a lesson in humility, That's really what helped me find myself - to be totally destroyed and have to get up there every night and walk away laughing rather than crying". It was also around this time that his marriage to his wife, Sandra, crumbled and ended in divorce. However he then started living in a partnered relationship with a record studio employer, Carol Scates, and had 2 daughters in the late 1990's. He also found comfort in another talent of his - painting. His impressive sketches and paintings lined the walls and hallway of his home.
As his voice returned, Conley continued to give concerts and tours, becoming a staple of the southern honky tonk circuit where his career had started, as he began to refocus his creative energies. The much slower pace of road life provided adequate time to rediscover the joys of songwriting. This discipline energised Earl and provided a renewed confidence. He finally re-emerged with another album in 1998, "Perpetual Emotion", aided and abetted by long-time friends Randy Scruggs and Curly Corwin. In 2002, Blake Shelton charted in the Top 20 with 'All Over Me', which Conley co-wrote with Shelton and songwriter Mike Pyle. That led to the release of Conley's last albums, "Should Have Been Over By Now", released in 2003, and "Live at Billy Bob’s" released in 2005.
Earl Thomas Conley, after being in hospice care for some months, died in April 2019 at age 77 from from cerebral atrophy, a condition symptoms akin to dementia. He was survived by his partner of 25 years and mother of his 2 youngest children, Carol Scates, his first wife and mother of his 2 eldest children, both ages in their fifties, his 4 children, who were all present at his passing, along with 5 grandchilden and 4 of his 7 siblings.
During the 1980s, Conley charted 27 Top 10, singles, with a remarkable 18 of those climbing to the top spot, exceeded only by Ronnie Milsap's 23 # 1 hits as the most by any solo artist in any genre during that decade. In 1982, 'Heavenly Bodies' kicked off a string of 21 straight Top 10 hits that ran for 7 years, 17 of which went to # 1. During that time period, Conley had 4 # 1 singles from the same album, 1983's 'Don't Make It Easy For Me', a feat that had never been accomplished by any artist in any genre prior to this - and a feat he repeated with his 1986 album, 'The Heart Of Thé Matter'.
Conley was one of the great unsung country singers of the 1980s. He possessed a soulful voice that was offset by the generally delicate arrangements, particularly on the ballads, many of which he wrote himself. Throughout his career he demonstrated sharp songwriting skills, painting vivid characters and images with his lyrics and breathing life into them with his wonderfully expressive voice. But in many respects he’s been overlooked from that decade’s exciting list of great artists. Whilst the likes of George Strait, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Earle, Keith Whitley, Lyle Lovett and Rodney Crowell, have been eagerly embraced in the years that have followed, Conley has been largely ignored and overlooked by country historians.
Reasons may include the lack of a memorable "signature song", with none of his songs, despite their high quality, really enduring to become standards. Most of his songs were produced with distinctly 1980's elements, like the use of synthesisers, that haven't, for the most part, dated well. His extended absence from the music industry after 1991 also substantially lowered his profile and then there's his lack of awards. Despite being nominated for a total of 3 Grammys, 5 CMA and 6 ACM awards in his prime, he very unluckily never managed to snag one of them.
Nevertheless, after the hits stopped coming in the ‘90s, Conley became an elder statesman for a new wave of country stars. A number of them have spoken of Conley's influence on their music, including Luke Bryan - “My dad had a Chevrolet pickup with a tape player in it. I would say, for 5 years, Earl Thomas Conley’s tape never left. I don’t know if my daddy even listened to the radio. He just kept that tape in whenever he was in his truck. That was what was playing. And so that’s how I found his music and it just continued from there. Even through playing honky tonks; I mean if you played honky tonks and didn’t do an Earl Thomas Conley slow song you were a fool". Jason Aldean, John Anderson and Neal McCoy are amongst others who have cited Conley as a major influence on their music.
Blake Shelton revealed Conley was a very shy man - “He was a very talented guy and I don’t think he ever knew how talented he was. I remember the first time I went to his house, we wrote a song. Mike Pyle introduced me to him and I couldn’t get over the fact that I was sitting there with my personal hero, my favorite singer of all time of any genre of music. I just couldn’t get over how normal he was and how didn’t want to hear about that stuff. He just wanted to get past that and let’s just write this song. He was embarrassed a little bit, I think”. Shelton memorialised Conley in a Twitter post announcing his passing - “My heart is absolutely destroyed today… Earl was my all-time favourite singer, hero and my friend. Prayers to his family. We will all miss you deeply my brother. Now go rest...”. When Shelton got on stage to accept the first CMA Award of the 2019 CMAs, snagging Single Of The Year for 'God’s Country', he dedicated his award to Conley.
Very surprisingly, Earl Thomas Conley has still not been inducted into the Country Music HoF. Who knows what strange decision making and behind the scenes politics is involved in this - he was also, very strangely, never invited to join the Grand Ole Opry. But last year, the hugely influential industry heavyweight, Garth Brooks, finally succeeded in his long campaign to get Keith Whitley inducted. But Earl Thomas Conley is an even bigger, glaring omission.
I better leave it at that. When I'm next back, most probably sometime next month, it'll be with an artist with a very different background than what we've seen so far for the 1980's, with a strong link to the origins of country music - but bringing these heritage elements very much to the present and finding enduring success.
It’s one of those duets that is held back by the voices not quite blending well together. Harris is an all-star harmony vocalist, but she wasn’t a good fit for Conley’s own superb lead vocal style. They both had fantastic vocals when they’re singing alone, but they didn't sound tight as a duo. it's a beautiful song that works better as a solo record - Johnny Rodriguezs original remains my favourite, but nevertheless the duet added to the # 1 tallies of both Conley and Harris, both of whom were nearing the ends of their impressive runs on country radio and, hence, the charts -
For his most touching, insightful, song, Conley introduces a broken-hearted man, wrapped up in his internal dialogue about what he’ll say next to a former lover. 'What I'd Say', written by Robert Byrne and Will Robinson, was released in 1988 as the 3rd single from his "The Heart of It All" album. The song was Conley's 17th #1 hit (his 16th consecutive # 1). This is one of his very best ballads, reminiscent of his earlier work in its lyrical sophistication, but it’s elevated by the gravitas of an older singer. He has to communicate so many different emotions as he runs the gamut in his mind of everything he might say to his old flame. Conley is angry, hopeful, desperate, and indifferent, alternating between feelings with every line in the chorus. It’s a difficult tightrope to walk - and he does it flawlessly -
"..There's times I feel so angry, I'd put my fist right through the wall / Then there's times, I've come so close to giving you a call / I love you and I hate you all at the same time / I pray that you'll come back to me before I lose my mind ..." -
'What I'd Say' was covered by by Irish singer/songwriter Paul Harrington whose version was the title track of his debut album, reaching the Top 10 in 1991. It was also covered byGary Allan on his 2001 "Alright Guy" album and by Lorrie Morgan on her 2016 "Letting Go... Slow” album.
Friday - for obvious reasons - has been the subject of any number of up-tempo songs celebrating the end of the working week and the weekend to come - and none better, I reckon than the old 1960's classic from The Easybeats, 'Friday On My Mind'.To this, I would've added the Alan Jackson/Jimmy Buffet'It's Five O'Clock Somewhere', in which the drinks and good times start flowing at midday - a concept I thoroughly approve of and have partaken in at times over the years on a Friday - except it ain't got "Friday" nowhere in the title or lyrics - but when I listen to it, I always have Friday on my mind.
The rambunctious 'Finally Friday', written by Bobby Boyd, Warren Haynes, DeWayne Mize and Dennis Robbins, first appeared on Conley's "The Heart of It All" album, but not released as a single. It would be a single for George Jones in 1992. Conley's version is more restrained, but the accordion-led production lends it a happy Cajun feel which works pretty well -
George Jones 1992 cover of 'Finally Friday' was released as the B-side of his hit, 'I Don't Need A Rocking Chair'.
What would prove to be Conley’s very last #1 hit - his 18th, was the Thom Schuyler penned ‘Love Out Loud’. A more upbeat tempo enlivens a sincerely sung song about an inarticulate man who nevertheless loves his lady. It is my least favorite of the singles from "The Heart of It All" album, but still not a bad song, good enough to be the record equaling 4th # 1 from the' album, capping off Conley's domination of the charts through the 1980's -
The long run of #1 and # 2 hits, dating back to 1982’s ‘Somewhere Between Right And Wrong’ was to come to a juddering halt with "The Heart of It All" album’s 5th single, the soulful honky tonk ‘You Must Not Be Drinking Enough’ which, however, peaked at a very disappointing #26. It was the first time Conley had released more than 4 singles from one album, but the main problem was probably the underlying shifts in country radio. coming up.. ‘You Must Not Be Drinking Enough’ is actually a fine song which deserved better, with a more traditional country sound up with steel guitar - than much of Conley’s oeuvre (despite it being a Don Henley cover, one of 2 in the "The Heart of It All" album - the other being the title song).:
Conley had only 2 more top 10's, the last of which was the posthumous duet with Keith Whitley. Although Conley had recorded this duet with Whitley in 1987, it did not appear on an album until both Conley’s "Yours Truly" and Whitley’s posthumous "Kentucky Bluebird" arrived in 1991. Conley explains in the 1998 Country Weekly interview I referred to yesterday - "Shortly after Keith got a deal, he said, 'Man, if I can find the right song, would you mind singing with me? I said,'Heck no, I'd be glad to.' He found 'Brotherly Love', laid the tracks down and did his part while I was out on the road. Then I came iin and did my part". The song wasn't released until 1991, 2 years after Keith's tragic death from alcohol poisoning at age 34 and went to # 2. The tale of unconditional love between siblings became a heartfelt farewell to Whitley - -
Conley spoke of the special friendship he shared with the neo-traditionalist, Keith Whitley, despite their busy lives -
"... For two people who didn't see each other a whole lot, we connected. Everything he did, you could really feel it.That's what good music is all about".
By this time Conley had had enough of the treadmill of his career which was based around producing one radio hit after another. Issues of control in the studio fuelled his growing disenchantment with the politics of the music business as trouble began between him and his record label. - "Here's the way I look at it. Don't fix something that doesn't need to be fixed. I started working with Randy Scruggs and Emory Gordy Jr. and we did an album called "The Heart of It All". It was extremely well done as far as I'm concerned. After that album, the label started making a lot of decisions and I disagreed, and kept disagreeing. I couldn't work and felt like I was doing it to suit somebody else. It has to be done from an artist's point of view. Finally I said, 'Then I won't record anymore.' And I didn't".
Adding to this, mounting voice problems, for someone who relied on a strong, warm vocal, coupled with more than 200 touring dates a year, began to take a toll and led to rumours of throat cancer, but what doctors actually discovered were severe allergies that prevented the full use of his vocal cords. Conley's problems mounted with the death of his father -
"He passed away and I thought, 'Damn - all the things I was going to do with him'.' I never got a chance to. So that, along with these allergies and working that many shows, I just said, 'To hell with this music. I've missed out on everything in this world and it's killing me'. I really started shutting down then. I went to the doctor because it got to the point where I couldn't sing. The doctor discovered a pinhead-size polyp on one of my vocal cords. The right-hand side of my voice box was inflamed. He was afraid it might be cancerous, but it wasn't".
Financial woes (he spent as much ans he earned) also contributed to this tailspin, leaving Conley mentally, physically, emotionally and creatively drained. So, in true Conley fashion, he refused to compromise and in 1992 took an indefinite break, which led to a 7 year hiatus from the studio. He was then nearly sued when he lost his voice - "I said, 'I can't sing. I've got to cancel these dates.' Well, I couldn't. So I went out on stage and tried to sing. You talk about a lesson in humility, That's really what helped me find myself - to be totally destroyed and have to get up there every night and walk away laughing rather than crying". It was also around this time that his marriage to his wife, Sandra, crumbled and ended in divorce. However he then started living in a partnered relationship with a record studio employer, Carol Scates, and had 2 daughters in the late 1990's. He also found comfort in another talent of his - painting. His impressive sketches and paintings lined the walls and hallway of his home.
As his voice returned, Conley continued to give concerts and tours, becoming a staple of the southern honky tonk circuit where his career had started, as he began to refocus his creative energies. The much slower pace of road life provided adequate time to rediscover the joys of songwriting. This discipline energised Earl and provided a renewed confidence. He finally re-emerged with another album in 1998, "Perpetual Emotion", aided and abetted by long-time friends Randy Scruggs and Curly Corwin. In 2002, Blake Shelton charted in the Top 20 with 'All Over Me', which Conley co-wrote with Shelton and songwriter Mike Pyle. That led to the release of Conley's last albums, "Should Have Been Over By Now", released in 2003, and "Live at Billy Bob’s" released in 2005.
Earl Thomas Conley, after being in hospice care for some months, died in April 2019 at age 77 from from cerebral atrophy, a condition symptoms akin to dementia. He was survived by his partner of 25 years and mother of his 2 youngest children, Carol Scates, his first wife and mother of his 2 eldest children, both ages in their fifties, his 4 children, who were all present at his passing, along with 5 grandchilden and 4 of his 7 siblings.
During the 1980s, Conley charted 27 Top 10, singles, with a remarkable 18 of those climbing to the top spot, exceeded only by Ronnie Milsap's 23 # 1 hits as the most by any solo artist in any genre during that decade. In 1982, 'Heavenly Bodies' kicked off a string of 21 straight Top 10 hits that ran for 7 years, 17 of which went to # 1. During that time period, Conley had 4 # 1 singles from the same album, 1983's 'Don't Make It Easy For Me', a feat that had never been accomplished by any artist in any genre prior to this - and a feat he repeated with his 1986 album, 'The Heart Of Thé Matter'.
Conley was one of the great unsung country singers of the 1980s. He possessed a soulful voice that was offset by the generally delicate arrangements, particularly on the ballads, many of which he wrote himself. Throughout his career he demonstrated sharp songwriting skills, painting vivid characters and images with his lyrics and breathing life into them with his wonderfully expressive voice. But in many respects he’s been overlooked from that decade’s exciting list of great artists. Whilst the likes of George Strait, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Earle, Keith Whitley, Lyle Lovett and Rodney Crowell, have been eagerly embraced in the years that have followed, Conley has been largely ignored and overlooked by country historians.
Reasons may include the lack of a memorable "signature song", with none of his songs, despite their high quality, really enduring to become standards. Most of his songs were produced with distinctly 1980's elements, like the use of synthesisers, that haven't, for the most part, dated well. His extended absence from the music industry after 1991 also substantially lowered his profile and then there's his lack of awards. Despite being nominated for a total of 3 Grammys, 5 CMA and 6 ACM awards in his prime, he very unluckily never managed to snag one of them.
Nevertheless, after the hits stopped coming in the ‘90s, Conley became an elder statesman for a new wave of country stars. A number of them have spoken of Conley's influence on their music, including Luke Bryan - “My dad had a Chevrolet pickup with a tape player in it. I would say, for 5 years, Earl Thomas Conley’s tape never left. I don’t know if my daddy even listened to the radio. He just kept that tape in whenever he was in his truck. That was what was playing. And so that’s how I found his music and it just continued from there. Even through playing honky tonks; I mean if you played honky tonks and didn’t do an Earl Thomas Conley slow song you were a fool". Jason Aldean, John Anderson and Neal McCoy are amongst others who have cited Conley as a major influence on their music.
Blake Shelton revealed Conley was a very shy man - “He was a very talented guy and I don’t think he ever knew how talented he was. I remember the first time I went to his house, we wrote a song. Mike Pyle introduced me to him and I couldn’t get over the fact that I was sitting there with my personal hero, my favorite singer of all time of any genre of music. I just couldn’t get over how normal he was and how didn’t want to hear about that stuff. He just wanted to get past that and let’s just write this song. He was embarrassed a little bit, I think”. Shelton memorialised Conley in a Twitter post announcing his passing - “My heart is absolutely destroyed today… Earl was my all-time favourite singer, hero and my friend. Prayers to his family. We will all miss you deeply my brother. Now go rest...”. When Shelton got on stage to accept the first CMA Award of the 2019 CMAs, snagging Single Of The Year for 'God’s Country', he dedicated his award to Conley.
Very surprisingly, Earl Thomas Conley has still not been inducted into the Country Music HoF. Who knows what strange decision making and behind the scenes politics is involved in this - he was also, very strangely, never invited to join the Grand Ole Opry. But last year, the hugely influential industry heavyweight, Garth Brooks, finally succeeded in his long campaign to get Keith Whitley inducted. But Earl Thomas Conley is an even bigger, glaring omission.
I better leave it at that. When I'm next back, most probably sometime next month, it'll be with an artist with a very different background than what we've seen so far for the 1980's, with a strong link to the origins of country music - but bringing these heritage elements very much to the present and finding enduring success.
