Earl Thomas Conley was an American country music singer-songwriter. He recorded ten studio albums, including seven for the RCA Records label between 1980 and 2003. 18 of his songs during the 1980s reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It marked the most Number One hits by any artist in any genre during that decade except for Alabama and Ronnie Milsap. He died on 10 April 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee in the United States. He died at the age of 77 years old from complications of dementia.
What was Gyth Rigdon’s best performance in ‘The Voice’ finale: ‘Once in a Blue Moon,’ ‘Take It Easy’ or ‘Proof I’ve Always Loved You’?
Blake Shelton‘s country heartthrob Gyth Rigdon from Singer, Louisiana had three final chances to excite America during Monday’s “The Voice” Season 16 finale, but which one of his performances was the best? As a refresher, Gyth sang Earl Thomas Conley‘s “Once in a Blue Moon” as his solo cover, “Take It Easy” as his coach duet with Blake and “Proof I’ve Always Loved You” as his original song. Our live-blogger John Benutty recapped each of Gyth’s final three performances, so scroll down to see his snappy reactions and then vote in our poll for your fave.
“Once in a Blue Moon”
Benutty’s take: “Blake was pleased with the song choice because it would serve as a nice tribute to Conley who passed away only a few months ago. The performance was very scaled back for Gyth, but the perfect arrangement of the song. With this, he got to show the softer side of his voice as well as his personality. I think the audience will really gravitate to this performance of his, above the others.”
“Take It Easy”
Benutty’s take: “The next performance from Team Blake was Gyth’s duet with his coach, ‘Take It Easy’ by The Eagles. I loved this for Gyth because he looked like he was having a ton of fun being on stage with Blake and with the song. He had a few hiccups in the performance, but the energy was most important here and in that regard, they executed well.”
“Proof I’ve Always Loved You”
Benutty’s take: “Gyth’s original song is a song he says he’s had in his back pocket for a long time. It’s also the only song in the finale that one of the artists has a writing credit on, so for Gyth this was a deeply personal song for him to deliver. The song is definitely something that everyone can connect with and so even without his strong performance of it, I think it’ll be one of the most streamed songs from the night. Gyth has a star quality that comes through in every performance he gives and that’s why he’s been so strong this season. In their critiques, the coaches were impressed by how many different sides of himself he’s shown throughout the competition, and Blake said that he could actually win the show.”
What is the age of Earl Thomas Conley at the time of his death?
Earl Thomas Conley was 77 years old at the time of his death.
Where was Earl Thomas Conley Born?
On 17th October 1941, Earl Thomas Conley was born to a father Arthur Conley, and a mother, Glenna Ruth in Portsmouth, Ohio in the United States. He held American nationality and his ethnicity is White. His zodiac sign was Libra and his religion is Christian. He had 7 siblings, Frances, Rebecca, Steve, Fred, Rhonda, Dora, Joyce. His father lost his job with the railroad when he was 14. He was forced to move with his older sister in Jamestown, Ohio. He was offered a scholarship to an art school. But, he rejected the offer in order to join the US Army. While in the Army, he became a member of a Christian-influenced trio, where his musical talent and vocal ability first began. He then decided to consider performing as a serious career option. He started listening to country artists Merle Haggard and George Jones. He first tried songwriting. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 1968. He then began commuting from Dayton to Nashville in 1973. He played in clubs in Nashville, Tennesse, at night and worked blue-collar jobs during the day. He met Dick Heard in Nashville. Dick Heard produced country music singer Mel Street. The two collaborated on the song "Smokey Mountain Memories". More information about his early life will be added soon.
How was the career of Earl Thomas Conley?
- Earl Thomas Conley felt that he was not making any progress in Nashville.
- So, he moved to Huntsville, Alabama to work in a steel mill.
- In there, he met record producer Nelson Larkin.
- Nelson Larkin helped him sign with independent record label GRT in the year 1974.
- He released 4 singles from that label but did not earn him recognition.
- At the same time, he was selling songs that he had written to other artists such as Conway Twitty and Mel Street.
- He returned to Nashville and started writing for Nelson Larkin's publishing house.
- He then signed a recording deal with Warner Bros. Records in the year 1979.
- He had his first Top 40 hit, "Dreamin's All I Do" in the year 1981.
- He had his first number one single, "Fire & Smoke" in the year 1981.
- He started getting recognition and success after that.
- He was also nominated for multiple Grammy Awards for his song "Holding Her and Loving You" in the year 1983.
- He set the record the following year as the first artist in any genre to have four Number One singles from the same album, Don't Make It Easy for Me.
- He had a total of 18 number ones between "Fire & Smoke" in 1981 and "Love Out Loud" in 1989.
- In the year 1986, he became the first-and-only country artist to appear on an episode of "Soul Train".
- He sang "Too Many Times" with singer Anita Pointer of the Pointer Sisters.
- His record sales began to drop in the 1990s.
- He was dropped from his record label in 1992.
- He took 7-year recording hiatus between 1991 and 1997.
- He then had vocal problems, disenchantment with record label politics, road fatigue, and mental burnout.
- He began recording again in the year 1998.
- He co-wrote "All Over Me" with Blake Shelton and Michael Pyle for Blake Shelton.
- The single charted in the Top 20 in 2002.
- He had released 10 studio albums. They are Blue Pearl (1980), Fire and Smoke (1981), Somewhere Between Right and Wrong (1982), Don't Make It Easy For Me (1983), Treadin' Water (1984), Too Many Times (1986), The Heart of It All (1988), Yours Truly (1991), and Perpetual Emotion (1998).
- His compilation albums are Greatest Hits (1985), The Best of Earl Thomas Conley, Vol. One (1987), Greatest Hits, Volume II (1990), The Essential Earl Thomas Conley (1996), Love Out Loud (1998), Super Hits (1998), and 16 Biggest Hits (2006).
- He released a live album, Live at Billy Bob's Texas in February 2005.
What is the cause of the death of Earl Thomas Conley?
on 10 April 2019, Earl Thomas Conley died. He died at the age of 77 years old due to complications of dementia.
Who was Earl Thomas Conley Married to?
Moving towards the personal life of Earl Thomas Conley, he was a married person. He was married twice in his lifetime. He was married to Sandra Sue Smith and Carole Scates. He has 4 children named Ty Conley, Amy Edmisten, Kat Scates, and Erin Scates. No more information regarding his personal life has been disclosed yet.
How much is Earl Thomas Conley's net worth?
The net worth of this famous singer, Earl Thomas Conley is estimated to have $8 million as of 2019. His exact salary has not been revealed yet. His major source of income was from his singing career.
