The music business and it's cast of characters are full of tales concerning acts and their pursuit for success - the long and winding roads traveled to fulfill their dreams, the rapidity of #1 hits, the languorous nature of a career fading away into nothing, the remembrance of days gone by never to repeated either critically or commercially. Once in a blue moon, however, does a true artist glow like the brightest star and burn out only to reignite with the presence of the Sun. If anyone in the world of country music deserves to bear such a distinction, it would be Earl Thomas Conley.
Few ever achieve such a remarkable set of milestones, let alone look adversity in the face and return to prove than lightening can strike twice. Earl Thomas Conley dispells any trace of doubt with Perpetual Emotion, a collection that perfectly marries the past and the present of a country music sage who originally looked for inspiration with a brush rather than a six string. Painting was this Portsmouth, Ohio native's first love a passion that began at age 10. It was also his way out of an economically depressed town whose glory days had passed. By 14, Earl was more than ready to live with his sister in Dayton, where he continued to paint and learn more about the art that seemed to direct his life.
Upon high school graduation, Earl was prepared to accept an art scholarship at a local college, but opted to join the army instead. It was here, as a member of a Christian-influenced trio, where his musical talent and vocal ability were first realized. As he continued to perform, Earl's feelings towards the music that his father had played for him as a child grew stronger and seemed to take a hold of him. He also figured that entertaining wasn't a bad way to make a living. This new found inspiration fueled the young Conley, who now sought an education in country music. Recordings by Merle Haggard, George Jones, and Charlie Pride were the basis of this education, which served as a solid foundation for Conley, who began to write songs around this period.
Now that army life was behind him, Earl started commuting to Nashville in 1968. With success eluding him during every visit, Conley moved to Huntsville, Alabama to be closer to Music City and its recording studios. During a song-plugging visit in 1973, Earl met Dick Herd, who produced Mel Street. This meeting led to the Conley-Herd composite "Smokey Mountain Memories," which Street took straight into the Top 10. With the future looking brighter than ever before, Earl moved to Nashville, where luck as a songwriter continued with "This Time I've Hurt Her More Than She Loves Me," a #1 hit for Conway Twitty in 1975.
Having written continuously since 1968 and hot on the heels of a #1 cut for Conway Twitty, Earl decided to make the move to "singer" as Earl Conley. In 1979, Earl released three singles for Warner Brothers, which failed to crack the Top 20 country chart. Nothing seemed to grab anyone's attention. By 1982, the artist now known as Earl Thomas Conley had signed with the independent Sunbird Records, where he recorded the "Blue Pearl" album with producer Nelson Larkin. One of the album's tracks, "Fire & Smoke," was selected as a single and promoted to country radio stations across the U.S. Within weeks, the song was atop the Billboard charts and Earl had achieved his first #1 as an artist.