Earl Thomas Conley

Earl Thomas Conley (October 17, 1941 – April 10, 2019) was an American country music singer-songwriter known for many hit records, including his 1981 top hit "Fire and Smoke" ("...what a rush I got..."). Between 1980 and 2003, he recorded ten studio albums, including seven for the RCA Records label. He had more than 30 hit records, along with his hit-single "Holding Her and Loving You". As a songwriter, he also wrote popular songs for other singers, with Mel Street's number 13 hit "Smokey Mountain Memories" or Conway Twitty's song "This Time I've Hurt Her More".
Throughout his career, Conley's music was called the "thinking man's" country. This is because the narrator looks into the heart and soul of his characters in each song.
Conley died on April 10, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee from problems caused by dementia at the age of 77.