Earl Thomas Conley

Earl Thomas Conley (born October 17, 1941; died April 10, 2019) was an American country music singer-songwriter. Between 1980 and 2003, he recorded 10 studio albums, including seven for the RCA Records label. In the 1980s and 1990s, he also charted more than 30 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, of which eighteen reached #1.

Conley, referred to by many as "ETC", was one of the most successful Country Music artists of the 1980s. With hits like "Fire and Smoke", "Holding Her and Loving You", "Once in a Blue Moon", "Don't Make It Easy For Me", "Shadow of a Doubt" and countless others, he made his mark on the Country Music world. Conley's music earned the label "Thinking man's Country", by looking into the heart and soul of his characters and because of this many listeners relate to his songs, even today. Conley easily expressed himself as a gifted singer and songwriter.