John Wayne Conlee (born August 11, 1946) is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer. Between 1978 and 2004, Conlee charted a total of 32 singles on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

charts, and recorded 11

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

s. His singles include seven No. 1 hits: " Lady Lay Down", " Backside of Thirty", " Common Man", " I'm Only in It for the Love", " In My Eyes", " As Long As I'm Rockin' with You" and " Got My Heart Set on You". In addition to these, Conlee had 14 other songs reach the Top Ten. Conlee has been a member of the ''

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...

'' since 1981.

Early life

Conlee was born on a

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

farm in Versailles, Kentucky. By age 10, Conlee had begun singing and playing

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

, and later sang

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

in a

barbershop quartet A barbershop quartet is a group of four singers who sing music in the barbershop style, characterized by four-part harmony without instrumental accompaniment (a cappella). The four voices are: the lead, the vocal part which typically carries t ...

. Conlee did not immediately take up a musical career, instead becoming a licensed mortician, employed by Duell-Clark Funeral Chapel, and later a

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...

at radio stations WQXE in

Elizabethtown, Kentucky Elizabethtown is a home rule-class city in Hardin County, Kentucky, United States, and its county seat. The population was 31,394 at the 2020 census, making it the ninth-most populous city in the state. It is the principal city of the Elizab ...

, and at WLAC in

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

Music career

In pursuit of a music career, Conlee moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, by 1971. He signed to

ABC Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels bef ...

in 1976. Conlee charted for the first time in 1978 with "Rose Colored Glasses", a No. 5 hit on the ''

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart, as well as the title track on his 1978 debut album. The album produced his first two No. 1 hits with "Lady Lay Down" and "Backside of Thirty". Following ABC's merger with

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

, Conlee released his 1979 album ''Forever'' on MCA. Its singles, "Before My Time" (No. 2) and "Baby, You're Something" (No. 7), were top ten hits. A second MCA release, ''Friday Night Blues'', produced two more No. 2 hits: the title track and "She Can't Say That Anymore". The song "What I Had with You" (No. 12) followed. The 1981 album, ''With Love'', accounted for yet another hit with "Miss Emily's Picture" (No. 2), which Conlee performed live on ''

Hee Haw ''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired from 1969 to 1993, and on TNN from 1996 to 1997. Reruns of the series were broadcast on ...

'' on January 3, 1981. Conlee's 1982 album ''Busted'' led off with a cover of the Harlan Howard song of the same name. The album's last single, "Common Man", returned him to the top of the charts in 1983. Three more No. 1 hits came from the 1983 album ''In My Eyes'': "I'm Only in It for the Love" (co-written with Kix Brooks), the title track and "As Long as I'm Rockin' with You". MCA also released a ''Greatest Hits'' album in 1983. ''Blue Highway'' in 1984, his last studio album for MCA, produced another No. 2 with "Years After You". A year later, a second ''Greatest Hits'' album produced his last MCA single with the No. 5 "Old School", before he moved to

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. Conlee's first Columbia release, ''Harmony'', gave him his last No. 1 hit with "Got My Heart Set on You" in 1986. A second and final album for Columbia, ''American Faces'', reached the Top 10 for the last time with "Domestic Life". This was followed by "Mama's Rockin' Chair" at No. 11 (his last Top 40 hit). From there, Conlee moved to 16th Avenue Records, releasing ''Fellow Travelers'' in 1989. In 2005, Conlee donated his concert performance of "Rose Colored Glasses" at the

Wildhorse Saloon The Wildhorse Saloon was a country and western-themed restaurant which offers live music in addition to a Nightclub, dance club in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. It is owned by Grand Ole Opry, Opry Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of Ryman Ho ...

in Nashville, to benefit the Lymphatic Research Foundation in New York. Conlee sang his signature song and auctioned off a pair of "rose-colored glasses" with the proceeds going to LRF. Conlee has appeared on ''Larry's Country Diner'' and ''Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting'' (released on DVD/CD) via RFD-TV and Country Road TV.

Discography

;Studio albums *'' Rose Colored Glasses'' (1978) *''

Forever Forever or 4ever may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice * ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama, based on the novel by Judy Blume * '' ...

'' (1979) *'' Friday Night Blues'' (1980) *''

With Love With Love may refer to: Music Albums * '' ...with Love'', by Mary Byrne * ''With Love'' (Amanda Lear album), 2006 * ''With Love'' (Bobby Vinton album), 1974 * ''With Love'' (Charles Tolliver album), 2006 * '' With Love, Chér'', 1967 * ''Wi ...

'' (1981) *'' Busted'' (1982) *'' In My Eyes'' (1983) *'' Blue Highway'' (1984) *''

Harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

'' (1986) *'' American Faces'' (1987) *''Fellow Travelers'' (1989) *''Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus'' (2004)

Awards and nominations

Academy of Country Music Awards

, - , 1979 , John Conlee , Top New Male Vocalist ,

Country Music Association Awards

, - , rowspan=2,

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, '' Rose Colored Glasses'' , Album of the Year , , - , rowspan=2, John Conlee , rowspan=2, Male Vocalist of the Year , , - ,

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

References

External links

*
John Conlee Interview
at NAMM Oral History Collection (2018) {{DEFAULTSORT:Conlee, John 1946 births Living people American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters MCA Records artists Country musicians from Kentucky Grand Ole Opry members People from Versailles, Kentucky 16th Avenue Records artists ABC Records artists Columbia Records artists Singer-songwriters from Kentucky