Earl Thomas Conley (1941-2019) was one of the most dominant country hitmakers of the 1980s. Born in Ohio, Conley moved to Nashville in the early 'Seventies and found success first as a songwriter and then as a recording artist. His first chart-topping single was "Fire And Smoke," which peaked at #1 in 1981, beginning a solid string of hits that lasted through the decade, before Conley's star faded in the early '90s. Here's a quick look at his work...
Earl Thomas Conley "Blue Pearl" (Sunbird Records, 1980) (LP)
Earl Thomas Conley "Fire And Smoke" (RCA, 1981)
Earl Thomas Conley "Somewhere Between Right And Wrong" (RCA, 1982)
Earl Thomas Conley "Don't Make It Easy For Me" (RCA, 1983)
Earl Thomas Conley "Treadin' Water" (RCA, 1984)
Earl Thomas Conley "Too Many Times" (RCA, 1986)
Earl Thomas Conley "The Heart Of It All" (RCA, 1988)
Earl Thomas Conley "Yours Truly" (RCA, 1991)
Earl Thomas Conley "Perpetual Emotion" (Intersound Records, 1998)
Earl Thomas Conley "Should've Been Over By Now" (Smith Music Group, 2003)
Earl Thomas Conley "Live At Billy Bob's Texas" (Smith Music Group, 2004)
Earl Thomas Conley "Greatest Hits" (RCA, 1985)
Earl Thomas Conley "Greatest Hits 2" (RCA, 1990)
Earl Thomas Conley "The Essential" (BMG, 1996)
Well, if Kenny Rogers was out of town and you needed someone to fill in at the County Fair, Conley might be the right guy to pick up the slack for a night or two. He has a low, rumbling, vaguely George Jones-ish voice, but a penchant for slow, drippy ballads framed by tinkly, shimmering keyboard riffs. He also had a career that spanned the 'Eighties and a best-of list that's speckled with synth-friendly, "Flash Dance"-ish arrangements, clearly helping set the pace for the glossy synthpop crossovers of the Nashville 'Nineties and onward. This is a pretty good collection (of a pretty questionable artist) which includes almost all his hits from 1982-89, Conley's peak hitmaking years.
Earl Thomas Conley "Love Out Loud" (RCA, 1998)
Earl Thomas Conley "Super Hits" (RCA, 1998)
Earl Thomas Conley "16 Biggest Hits" (RCA, 2006)
