Kenneth Guy Gist Jr. (June 21, 1944 – March 27, 2018), known as Kenny O'Dell, was an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer and songwriter, best known for writing the number-one

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...

" Behind Closed Doors" (recorded by

Charlie Rich Charles Allan Rich (December 14, 1932July 25, 1995) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. His eclectic style of music was often difficult to classify, encompassing the rockabilly, jazz, blues, country, soul, and gospel g ...

, 1973) and "

Mama He's Crazy "Mama He's Crazy" is a song written by Kenny O'Dell, and originally recorded by American country music duo The Judds. It was released in April 1984 as the second single from their debut January 1984 EP ''Wynonna & Naomi''. The song was re-released ...

" (

The Judds The Judds were an American country music duo composed of lead vocalist Wynonna Judd and her mother, Naomi Judd. The duo signed to RCA Nashville in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991. The Judds were one of the most succes ...

, 1984). O'Dell was inducted into the

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1970 by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that is ...

Career

Early in his career, he worked with guitarist

Duane Eddy Duane Eddy (born April 26, 1938) is an American rock and roll guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had a string of hit records produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including " Rebel ...

, and his own band, Guys and Dolls. When O'Dell first moved to Nashville in 1969, he ran

Bobby Goldsboro Robert Charles Goldsboro (born January 18, 1941) is an American pop and country singer and songwriter. He had a string of pop and country hits in the 1960s and 1970s, including his signature No. 1 hit "Honey", which sold over 1 million copies in ...

's publishing company. He also wrote pop and soft rock songs, including "

Next Plane to London "Next Plane to London" is the debut single by the American folk rock band, The Rose Garden. The single, released by Atco Records, became the band's only Top 20 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 when it peaked at number 17. It would later reappear ...

", 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". It was followed by " Behind Closed Doors", which won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

in 1973 for Best Country & Western Recording. O'Dell wrote or co-wrote the number-one country hits " Trouble in Paradise" (

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Ma ...

, 1974) and " Lizzie and the Rainman" (

Tanya Tucker Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter who had her first hit, " Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13. Over the succeeding decades, Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature in ...

, 1975). His other top-10 hit was "What I've Got in Mind" (

Billie Jo Spears Billie Jo Spears (born Billie Joe Moore; January 14, 1938 – December 14, 2011) was an American country music singer. She reached the top 10 of the country music chart five times between 1969 and 1977, her biggest being "Blanket on the Ground", ...

, 1976). As a performer, O'Dell had a top-40 pop hit with "Beautiful People", released in 1967. He later had five top-40 country hits, topped by the top-10 hit "Let's Shake Hands And Come Out Lovin'" in 1978. The follow-up, "As Long As I Can Wake Up In Your Arms" peaked at No. 12 in 1979.

Personal life and death

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. O'Dell died of natural causes on March 27, 2018 in Cool Springs, Tennessee. He was 73.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Awards

*1973—Grammy\Best Country Song\"Behind Closed Doors" *1973—CMA\Song of the Year\"Behind Closed Doors" *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

External links

Nashville Songwriters profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odell, Kenny 1944 births 2018 deaths American male singer-songwriters American country singer-songwriters Grammy Award winners Capricorn Records artists Epic Records artists Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma People from Antlers, Oklahoma Country musicians from Oklahoma White Whale Records artists