Earl Thomas Conley
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Earl Thomas Conley (born October 17, 1941, in Portsmouth, Ohio) is an American country music singer and composer.
[edit] Biography
When Conley was only 14, his father lost his job, forcing the young boy to move in with his older sister. He was offered a scholarship to an art school, but rejected it in favor of joining the U.S. Army. After being honorably discharged from the military, he began playing in clubs in Nashville, Tennessee at night, supporting himself working blue-collar jobs during the day.
Feeling that he wasn't making any progress in Nashville, Conley moved to Huntsville, Alabama to work in a steel mill. There, he met record producer Nelson Larkin, who helped him sign with independent record label GRT in 1974. Conley released four singles on that label, none of which became large hits. At the same time he was selling songs that he had written to other artists, including Conway Twitty and Mel Street, who were having much success with them.
Conley returned to Nashville, now writing for Nelson Larkin's publishing house. In 1977, he signed a recording contract with Warner Brothers. Two years later, he had his first Top 40 hit, "Dreamin's All I Do". He left the label in 1979 and joined Sunbird Records, where he again worked with Nelson Larkin. This time, Conley found success, with a Top Ten and a Number One single within the next two years. He continued to have success over the next few years, and in 1983 he was nominated for multiple Grammy Awards for his song "Holdin' Her and Lovin' You". He set a record the following year as the first artist in any genre to have four Number One singles from the same album. Conley also appeared on Soul Train in 1986, the first and only country artist to do so.
By the end of the 1980s, Conley began collaborating with Randy Scruggs (son of legendary country singer Earl Scruggs), in the hopes that he could bring his music back to his country roots. His record sales began to drop in the 1990s, as country music took a more pop turn, and Conley was dropped from his record label in 1991. He continued to tour throughout the 1990s, but was without a recording contract for most of that time. He began recording again in 1998.
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US Hot Country | |||
| 1981 | "Fire and Smoke" | #- | #1 | Fire and Smoke |
| 1982 | "Somewhere Between Right and Wrong" | #- | #1 | Somewhere Between Right and Wrong |
| 1982 | "I Have Loved You Girl" | #- | #1 | Somewhere Between Right and Wrong |
| 1983 | "Holding Her and Loving You" | #- | #1 | Don't Make It Easy For Me |
| 1984 | "Angel in Disguise" | #- | #1 | Don't Make It Easy For Me |
| 1984 | "Chance of Lovin' You" | #- | #1 | Don't Make It Easy For Me |
| 1985 | "Don't Make It Easy For Me" | #- | #1 | Don't Make It Easy For Me |
| 1985 | "Honor Bound" | #- | #1 | Treadin' Water |
| 1985 | "Love Don't Care" | #- | #1 | Treadin' Water |
| 1985 | "Nobody Falls Like a Fool" | #- | #1 | Greatest hits |
| 1986 | "Once in a Blue Moon" | #- | #1 | Greatest hits |
| 1986 | "Too Many Times" | #- | #2 | Too Many Times |
| 1987 | "I Can't Win For Losin' You" | #- | #1 | Too Many Times |
| 1987 | "Right From the Start" | #- | #1 | Too Many Times |
| 1987 | "That Was a Close One" | #- | #1 | Too Many Times |
| 1988 | "We Believe in Happy Endings" | #- | #1 | The Heart of It All |
| 1988 | "What She Is (Is A Woman In Love)" | #- | #1 | The Heart of It All"' |
| 1989 | "Love Out Loud" | #- | #1 | The Heart of It All |
| 1989 | "What I'd Say" | #- | #1 | The Heart of It All |
| 1989 | "You Must Not Be Drinking Enough" | #- | #26 | The Heart of It All |
| 1990 | "Bring Back Your Love to Me" | #- | #11 | Greatest Hits 2 |
| 1990 | "Who's Gonna Tell Her Goodbye" | #- | #61 | Greatest Hits 2 |
| 1991 | "Shadow of a Doubt" | #- | #8 | Yours Truly |
| 1992 | "Hard Days and Honky Tonk Nights" | #- | #36 | Yours Truly |
| 1992 | "If Only Your Eyes Could Lie" | #- | #74 | Yours Truly |
| 1992 | "Brotherly Love" | #- | #? | Yours Truly |
