Earl Thomas Conley Dies At 77

Earl Thomas Conley
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images – Earl Thomas Conley
Photo of Earl Thomas Conley, circa 1970
Country singer/songwriter Earl Thomas Conley, who topped the charts in the 1980s, died early Wednesday in Nashville after being in hospice care for several months. He was 77. 
His brother Fred Conley confirmed the news and said the musician had a condition similar to dementia, according to The Tennessean. 
Conley had 18 No. 1 country hits and 25 Top 10 songs, with singles including “Holding Her and Loving You,” “Nobody Falls Like A Fool,” “Once In A Blue Moon,” “That Was A Close One” and “Love Out Loud.” 
 
After serving in the Army and falling in love with country music, Conley moved to Tennessee and started playing gigs in Nashville bars in the evenings. A move to Huntsville, Ala., introduced him to producer Nelson Larkin and he signed with independent label GRT in 1974, according to the Tennessean. He then signed with Warner Bros and released his first Top 40 hit, “Dreamin’s All I Do,” in 1979. Conley hit the top of the Country Chart for the first time with “Fire and Smoke” in 1981. 
He released 10 studio albums during his career, concluding with 1998’s Perpetual Emotion. 
Booking agent Rob Battle of Battle Artist Agency told The Tennessean Conley stopped touring two years ago because of his health issues. 
“He was on a lot of Hank Williams Jr.’s dates when Hank was Entertainer of the Year five years in a row,” Battle said. “He always delivered. There was as much if not more crowd response for Earl.”
Conley influenced many country singers over the years, including Blake Shelton, Toby Keith and John Rich.  
“My heart is absolutely destroyed today,” Shelton posted on Twitter. “I’m sad to report that Earl Thomas Conley passed away very early this morning. Earl was my all time favorite singer, hero and my friend. Prayers to his family. We will all miss you deeply my brother. Now go rest…” 
Shelton’s self-titled debut album includes the track “All Over Me,” which was composed by Shelton, Earl Thomas Conley and Michael Pyle. 
“An all time great. Earl Thomas Conley passed away today.  Huge influence on me.  Loved him.   Prayers to his family. -T” Toby Keith posted on Twitter. 
John Rich tweeted, “‏So sad to hear #EarlThomasConley passed away today. He was a huge influence on my style and songwriting. I studied his records like text books and could play every note of every song. Truly one of the all time greats in country music. #RipEarlThomasConley” 
Conley is survived by his longtime partner Carole Scates and four adult children, their mothers, two brothers, two sisters and five grandchildren. 
The Tennessean reports Conley didn’t want a funeral but a celebration of life may be in the works in the coming works. 
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