Kenny O'Dell
Kenny O'Dell | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kenneth Guy Gist Jr.[1] |
| Born | June 21, 1944 Antlers, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | March 27, 2018 (aged 73) Cool Springs, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1962–1979 |
| Labels | Vegas, Capricorn |
Kenneth Guy Gist Jr. (June 21, 1944 – March 27, 2018),[2] known as Kenny O'Dell, was an American country music singer and songwriter, best known for writing the number-one country hits "Behind Closed Doors" (recorded by Charlie Rich, 1973) and "Mama He's Crazy" (The Judds, 1984). O'Dell was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Career
[edit]Early in his career, he worked with guitarist Duane Eddy, and his own band, Guys and Dolls.[3] When O'Dell first moved to Nashville in 1969, he ran Bobby Goldsboro's publishing company.[3]
He also wrote pop and soft rock songs, including "Next Plane to London", which was a Top 20 hit in 1967 for The Rose Garden. The Crickets recorded two of his songs in 1972 and 1973, namely "My Rockin' Days" and "Rock'n'Roll Man". Charlie Rich had a top 10 country hit in 1972 with the O'Dell song, "I Take It On Home".[3] It was followed by "Behind Closed Doors",[3] which won a Grammy Award in 1973 for Best Country & Western Recording. O'Dell wrote or co-wrote the number-one country hits "Trouble in Paradise" (Loretta Lynn, 1974) and "Lizzie and the Rainman" (Tanya Tucker, 1975). His other top-10 hit was "What I've Got in Mind" (Billie Jo Spears, 1976).[3]
As a performer, O'Dell had a top-40 pop hit with "Beautiful People", released in 1967.[3] He later had five top-40 country hits, topped by the top-10 hit "Let's Shake Hands And Come Out Lovin'" in 1978.[3] The follow-up, "As Long As I Can Wake Up In Your Arms" peaked at No. 12 in 1979.
Personal life and death
[edit]O'Dell's wife, guitarist Vivian J. "Corki" Ray (née Casey) Gist died at the age of 80 in 2017. The couple had three children.[4][5]
O'Dell died of natural causes on March 27, 2018, in Cool Springs, Tennessee. He was 73.[2]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Beautiful People | Vegas |
| 1974 | Kenny O'Dell | Capricorn |
| 1978 | Let's Shake Hands and Come Out Lovin' |
Singles
[edit]| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US [6] | CAN Country | |||
| 1962 | "Old Time Love" | — | — | — | single only |
| 1967 | "Beautiful People" | — | 38 | — | Beautiful People |
| 1968 | "Springfield Plane" | — | 94 | — | singles only |
| "Happy with You" | — | 118 | — | ||
| "Bless Your Little Heart" | — | — | — | ||
| 1970 | "If I Was a Rambler" | — | — | — | |
| 1971 | "Jubal" | — | — | — | |
| 1972 | "Why Don't We Go Somewhere and Love" | — | — | — | |
| "Lizzie and the Rainman" | — | — | — | ||
| 1973 | "Rock and Roll Man" | — | — | — | |
| 1974 | "You Bet Your Sweet, Sweet Love" | 58 | — | — | Kenny O'Dell |
| "I'll Find Another Way (To Say I Love You)" | — | — | — | ||
| 1975 | "Soulful Woman" | 18 | — | 36 | |
| "My Honky Tonk Ways" | 37 | 105 | — | singles only | |
| "I Can't Think When You're Doin'" | — | — | — | ||
| 1978 | "Let's Shake Hands and Come Out Lovin'" | 9 | — | — | Let's Shake Hands and Come Out Lovin' |
| "As Long as I Can Wake Up in Your Arms" | 12 | — | 14 | ||
| 1979 | "Medicine Woman" | 32 | — | — | single only |
Awards
[edit] |
- 1973—Grammy\Best Country Song\"Behind Closed Doors"
- 1973—CMA\Song of the Year\"Behind Closed Doors"[3]
- 1973—CMA\Single of the Year\"Behind Closed Doors"
- 1973—ACM\Song of the Year\"Behind Closed Doors"
- 1973—ACM\Single of the Year\"Behind Closed Doors"
- 1984—Nashville Songwriters Association International\Songwriter of the Year
- 1984—NSAI\Song of the Year\"Mama He's Crazy"
- 1985—BMI\Country Song of the Year\"Mama He's Crazy"
References
[edit]- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ a b "Grammy-winning country songwriter Kenny O'Dell dies at 73". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1852. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- ^ Betts, Stephen L. (May 15, 2017). "Corki Casey O'Dell, Musicians Hall of Fame Guitarist, Dead at 80". Rolling Stone.
- ^ "Vivian Gist Obituary – Nashville, TN | The Tennessean". Legacy.com. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. p. 661. ISBN 978-0-89820-188-8.
External links
[edit]- Nashville Songwriters profile
- Kenny O'Dell discography at Discogs
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