Con Hunley
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| Con Hunley | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Conard Logan Hunley |
| Born | April 9, 1945 |
| Origin |  Knoxville, Tennessee, United States |
| Genre(s) | Country music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer Singer-songwriter Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals Piano |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Label(s) | Prairie Dust Records (1976) Warner Bros. (1978-1982) MCA Records (1983) Capitol Records (1984-1986) IMMI Records (2004-present) |
| Website | www.conhunley.com |
Con Hunley is a soulful country music performer. Conard Logan Hunley was born April 9, 1945 in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States into a family of six children. An early influence was Chet Atkins, and Hunley taught himself to play thumb-style guitar in the Atkins style while still a youth. When his parents bought a piano for his sister, Hunley taught himself to play by ear and credits Ray Charles with having the greatest influence on his style and his music career.
After high school he began playing with local bands, maturing musically and gaining his first fans. Hunley joined the Air Force in 1965, and spent most of his service on a military base in Illinois, teaching aircraft mechanics and playing music in area clubs whenever possible.
After his tour of duty was finished, Hunley returned to Knoxville and began performing weekly at a local nightclub where he met businessman Sam Kirkpatrick, who formed the independent label Prairie Dust Records to showcase Hunley's talents. After some minor success on the country music charts, Hunley caught the attention of Warner Bros. Records, who signed him in 1978. Hunley recorded five albums with Warner Bros., released several singles on MCA Records and Capitol Records, and achieved more than 20 charted hits, including “Weekend Friend,” “No Relief In Sight,” and “Oh Girl”. He toured throughout the US, playing large venues around the country with other musical acts including Alabama, the Oak Ridge Boys, the Gatlins, George Jones and Tammy Wynette.
Though he continued to perform in a variety of venues, including a 1996 performance at the White House and at the World Heavyweight Championship fight in South Africa, Hunley recorded no new music for over a decade after his last release for Capitol Records. Hunley’s long recording hiatus ended after signing with IMMI Records in 2004. He teamed again with Grammy-winning producer Norro Wilson, the architect of several of his early Warner Brothers hits, and added his first new recorded product in twenty years, Sweet Memories, to his catalog. The album was selected by CMT.com as one of the top 10 albums of 2004.
In early 2006 IMMI Records released Shoot From The Heart, another collaboration by Hunley and Norro Wilson. Hunley co-wrote two of the songs with songwriters Kim Williams and Larry Shell.
Hunley participates in celebrity golf tournaments around the country, and hosts one of his own each year in his hometown of Knoxville, TN, which has raised over a million dollars for charities benefiting underprivileged children.
Contents |
[edit] Releases
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This list may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help improve this list. It may be poorly defined, unverified or indiscriminate. (January 2008) |
[edit] Albums
(1979 – 2006)
1979: No Limit - Warner Bros. Records
1980: I Don't Want To Lose You - Warner Bros. Records
1980: Don't It Break Your Heart - Warner Bros. Records
1981: Ask Any Woman - Warner Bros. Records
1982: Oh Girl - Warner Bros. Records
2004: Sweet Memories - IMMI Records
2005: The First Time: From Studio B - IMMI Records
2006: Shoot From The Heart - IMMI Records
[edit] Singles
(1976 – 2006)
1976: “Misery Loves Company” Prairie Dust Records (Rick Klang) “Loving You Is a Habit I Can’t Break” Prairie Dust Records (Kelly Bach)
1977: “Pick Up the Pieces” Prairie Dust Records (Michael Martin) “”I’ll Always Remember That Song” Prairie Dust Records (Charlie Daniels) (At the time, songwriter Charlie Daniels was still two years away from “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”) “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” Prairie Dust Records (Con Hunley)
1978: “Cry Cry Darling” Warner Bros. Records (J.D. Miller/Jimmy Newman) (This country classic was originated by Jimmy C. Newman in 1954) “Week-End Friend” Warner Bros. Records (Troy Seals/Eddie Setser) “You’ve Still Got a Place in My Heart” Warner Bros. Records (Leon Payne) (This 1949 country standard also became a 1984 hit for George Jones)
1979: “I’ve Been Waiting for You All of My Life” Warner Bros. Records (Mark Sherrill/Linda Kimball) (Later, this became a 1981 pop hit for Paul Anka) “Since I Fell for You” Warner Bros. Records (Buddy Johnson) (This pop standard was a 1963 hit for Lenny Welch. Originated by its composer in 1948, it has been recorded by a who’s-who of vocalists, including Barbra Streisand, Michael Bolton, Glen Campbell, Tom Jones, Dinah Washington, Andy Williams, Natalie Cole, Ronnie Milsap, Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Mathis, Charlie Rich, Ella Fitzgerald, Kenny Rogers, Nancy Wilson, Doris Day and Aaron Neville. Con is so fond of it, he has recorded it twice.) “I Don’t Want to Lose You” Warner Bros. Records (Norro Wilson/Steve Davis/Billy Sherrill)
1980: “You Lay a Whole Lot of Love on Me” Warner Bros. Records (Forest Borders/Hank Beach) “They Never Lost You” Warner Bros. Records (David Wills/Charles Quillen) “What’s New with You” Warner Bros. Records (Charles Quillen/Dean Dillon)
1981: “She’s Steppin’ Out” Warner Bros. Records (Tom Brasfield/Walt Aldridge) 1982: “No Relief in Sight” Warner Bros. Records (Rory Bourke/Gene Dobbins/Johnny Wilson) “Oh Girl” Warner Bros. Records (Eugene Record) (This was a pop smash for the r&b group The Chi-Lites in 1972) “Confidential” Warner Bros. Records (Dorinda Morgan) (Originated by blues great Charles Brown in 1949, this became a pop hit in 1956 for Sonny Knight. The Fleetwoods re-popularized it in 1960)
1983: “Once You Get the Feel of It” MCA Records (D. Dillon/L. Butler) “Satisfied Mind” MCA Records (J. Rhodes/J. Hayes) (This 1955 country classic was a hit for Jean Shepard, Red Foley and Porter Wagoner, and Porter was the guest vocalist on Con’s remake)
1984: “Deep in the Arms of Texas” Prairie Dust Records (Kelly Bach) “All American Country Boy” Capitol Records (K. Stegall/C. Craig)
1985: “I’d Rather Be Crazy” Capitol Records (Pfrimmer/Gallimore/Worley) “Nobody Ever Gets Enough Love” Capitol Records (D. Morgan/S.A. Davis) “What Am I Gonna Do About You” Capitol Records (Simon/Gilmore/Allison)
1986: “Blue Suede Blues” Capitol Records (Mickey James/Patti Ryan/Richard Fagan) “Quittin’ Time” Capitol Records (Hellard/Garvin/Jones)
2004: “Still” IMMI Records (Bill Anderson) (Originally a hit for its composer in 1963 as a recitation. Con’s remake was the first version to be sung)
2005: “Only Time Will Tell” IMMI Records (Dean Dillon/John Northrup/Tommy Rocco) “She Ain’t You” IMMI Records (Donny Kees/Monty Holmes) “Sweet Memories” IMMI Records (Mickey Newberry)
2006: “I Can’t Make It Alone” IMMI Records (Neil Thrasher/Kelly Shiver/Kent Blazy) “That Old Clock (Just Keeps on Tickin’)” IMMI Records (Con Hunley, Larry Shell, Kim Williams) “I Can See You With My Eyes Closed” IMMI Records (Larry Bastian)
2007: “Hollow Man” IMMI Records (Larry Shell, Steve Gulley & Kim Williams) “The Keys” IMMI Records (Dean Dillon, Dale Dodson & Hank Cochran)
[edit] Source
- IMMI Records
