Con Hunley stands in front of his 1946 Ford Delux Sedan that is a source of pride and joy for the country music performer. (News Sentinel photo by Joe Howell)

Con Hunley is old school. His kind of country music comes from a time when R&B and country were sort of side by side. When Con plays piano it's with a debt to Ray Charles more than Floyd Cramer. And when he sings a song it always has elements of gospel and soul. There's also a depth that artists raised on "American Idol" or post-Garth Brooks country never achieve.

And if anyone ever counted him out, they didn't know him very well.

Sitting in the back room at Litton's in Fountain City, Con taps his fingers on his new CD, "Lost & Found: The MCA/Capitol Years." He recently re-recorded the music from a time when the industry had seemed to write him off.

Con was a Knoxville star before he released his first album on Warner Bros. Records in 1979. For the next several years he had a string of Top 20 country hits (including his iconic cover of "Oh Girl") and was nominated for Best New Artist in both the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music Awards.

In 1982, at the urging of MCA executive Jim Foglesong and his friends the Oak Ridge Boys, Con signed with MCA Records.

"I was beating the bushes trying to find great songs for my first MCA album and everybody was excited," says Con.

Recordings were made and a few singles were released. In 1984, Jimmy Bowen was named head of the Nashville division of MCA.

"He put a halt on all production so he could review everything going on," says Con. "He didn't like what I was doing for some reason or maybe I didn't kiss his ring."

Suddenly, Con was out of a contract, but only until Foglesong was named head of Capitol Nashville and signed Hunley there.

Hunley was finding great songs, including "What In the World Am I Gonna Do About You?" It was released as a single.

"Radio fell in love with it," says Con.

Unbelievably, Bowen moved from MCA to Capitol. Foglesong was out again and Capitol pulled support for Con's single.

"They tried to kill it, but they couldn't," says Con.

With no support, the single never rose into the Top 40, but radio continued to play it for three months. Still, Con was dropped from Capitol in 1986. The following year, Reba McEntire took "What In the World" to No. 1.

"When I left Capitol I was absolutely devastated," says Con. "I kept thinking 'I've got a good track record, a lot of people like my style and my stuff. This is not the end."

When two years passed and Con still hadn't gotten another contract, though, he felt like it was.

"That's all I had done all my life, and I felt like 'It's over.' You question what your purpose is. I thought 'I've got nothing and nowhere to go.'"

It was a dark period that lasted for years. He didn't record. He rarely performed, and he tried to drown his sorrows in "various and sundry liquids."

"I used to plan my day around who I could drink with when," he says.

It wasn't until August 2000, a few months after the death of his mother and a time that he felt he'd hit rock bottom, that Con decided to change his life. He entered a program to overcome his alcoholism, and it worked.

"The sun has seemed to shine a little brighter every day since then," he says. "I haven't had a drink in 11 years. I had a good time and I enjoyed it and I paid dearly for some of the mistakes I made during that time. It's not something I fight. It's just gone."

And friends were ready for his return. Famed East Tennessee songwriter Dean Dillon had songs ready and tried to help Con get a new recording contract. As much as the people who heard the music loved it, they all decided Con was too old to take a chance on.

In 2004, Con decided to record an album without the major labels. He, his brother and some friends started IMMI Records and released "Sweet Memories." It was a critical hit and longtime fans were ecstatic. He also found that he could get airplay on small country radio stations that still played classic country music. And, fans all over the world were finding him on the Internet.

And he isn't taking anything for granted. He keeps up with fans on his website. When fans and friends emailed him birthday wishes recently, he answered all 2,000 of them.

"When I get emails and people tell me 'I had some tough times and your music helped me through it,' that means the world to me."

After lunch, Con and I sit in a car and listened to his take on the classic folk song "Wayfaring Stranger," which will be included on an upcoming gospel album. There is no doubt that the singer feels the song. It's as if he's pouring out his heart in every line.

His voice is even better than it was when he was having hits on the radio.

"I'm enjoying it now more than I ever have," he says. "It's not about spotlights and glamour. It's about heart and soul. I still sing all the old songs in the same key I always did. People tell me I'm singing better now than I ever have. It could be that with all the ups and downs there's more meaning to me."

Ma 'Dell'

Entertainer shares nourishing memories of mom, her meals

By MARY CONSTANTINE, constantine@knews.com
May 10, 2006

Faith, family, food and music have been constants in Con Hunley's life. They have molded him into the man he is today.

His love of music has provided the singer-songwriter a livelihood, while his faith and family have been unwavering during good times and bad.

His mother, the late Priscilla "Dell" Clodell, gave him the nourishment he needed, through the meals she prepared and the values she held fast.

"We always invited someone home from church and there was always a feast," he said. "She could throw a meal on the table in an hour's time and make you think someone had spent all day cooking it.

"She made beans and corn bread, fried potatoes, coleslaw, buttermilk chocolate cake, fried okra, green beans, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions and kilt lettuce."

He said his family wasn't wealthy but made do. "We never had high-price cuts of meat. We would have fried chicken or what they called cube steak, and she could fix it to where it was just delicious," he said.

A garden they tended in their back yard and harvest from their neighbors' gardens helped supplement their meals. "Someone in the neighborhood always had too much. They would pass it around. They gave it to everybody," he said.

One of his favorite items was his mother's biscuits. She made the "best biscuits in the world" and would make homemade syrup from sugar and water to serve with them.

She encouraged her children to clean their plates, and with six children in the family, there was little left. "We weren't very wasteful. We had to stretch, but we always had plenty to eat. We never went hungry," he said.

His mother had a "God-given knack to make friends," and she was always prepared to feed anyone who visited.

"Anytime anyone would come to Mom's house, she would say, 'Are you hungry?' I think she thought that everybody who showed up at her house was hungry," he said, laughing.

Once her children were grown, her nurturing instinct turned to her grandchildren, whom she enjoyed cooking for. "They were jammed-up and jelly-tight. They loved each other, and whatever they wanted, she would make for them," he said.

He described his mother as determined, "not afraid to talk to anybody," with a wonderful personality and very talented. "She had a huge number of friends," he said.

He hopes his daughter Brittany has acquired his mother's determination and ability to make friends. "She had a sixth sense about people. She could tell if they were real or not. I hope Brittany can pick up on that," he said.

He shares his mother's recipes for pinto beans, corn bread and buttermilk chocolate cake.

Pinto beans

2 pounds pinto beans (dry)

1 tablespoon salt

3-31/2 quarts water

2-3 ounces salt pork

Look through beans; remove all half beans or rocks that sometimes are packaged with dry beans. Put in 4-quart pot and fill with water. Rinse beans and wash one more time. Then fill pot with 3-31/2 quarts of water, add salt and place on stove on medium high.

Let beans come to boil, uncovered, for approximately 20-25 minutes. Add more water, covering at least 1-2 inches above beans. Turn heat down to medium, and let cook for approximately 1-11/2 hours; add water as needed. Turn heat to medium low and add salt pork. Let cook 15-20 minutes, until beans are tender. Add salt as needed for taste. Serves 6-8.

Corn bread

2 - 2 1/2 tablespoons bacon drippings

3 cups self-rising cornmeal

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/2-1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put 10-inch cast-iron skillet on eye of stove, and on medium-low heat melt 2 1/2 tablespoons bacon drippings. Be careful not to let it burn.

In 2-quart mixing bowl, add cornmeal, eggs, sugar, salt, buttermilk and as much milk as needed to have a good blend of ingredients. Pour most of the melted bacon drippings into the mixture, leaving some in the skillet to crisp the bottom of the bread.

Pour mixture into skillet and place back on stove, on medium heat, 2-4 minutes, until mixture bubbles just a little. Place on medium rack of oven and cook 30-40 minutes, until brown on top.

Serves 6-8.

Buttermilk chocolate cake

CAKE

2 sticks butter

4 tablespoons cocoa

1 cup water

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 cups self-rising flour

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

TOPPING

1 stick butter, melted

4 tablespoons cocoa

5 tablespoons buttermilk

1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In saucepan, mix butter, cocoa, water and buttermilk. Bring to boil and then let rest. Mix flour and sugar in mixing bowl. Combine with buttermilk mixture. Add eggs and vanilla and blend well. Stir until combined, and then pour into greased 9-inch-by-11-inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool.

To prepare topping, melt butter in saucepan. Add cocoa and buttermilk. Bring to boil. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar, vanilla and walnuts. Mix together and spread on top of cake.

Free Concert in Market Square Features Country Music Star Con Hunley

The soulful sounds of Con Hunley will be echoing through the streets of downtown Knoxville on Saturday night, and you won't want to miss the Dogwood Arts Festival's most popular and most fun outdoor event!

Con Hunley and his band are the featured performers in this year's Dogwood Arts Concert on Market Square in downtown Knoxville on Saturday, April 22nd, following the Dogwood Arts parade. An up and coming female duo from Nashville, Bomshel, opens the show, and Con will take the stage around 7:00 pm.

The theme for this year's Dogwood Arts Festival parade is "Celebrate Freedom" and thousands of returning soldiers and their families will participate in the parade. The concert will begin in Market Square Mall immediately following the parade. Seating is very limited, so you may wish to bring a chair. There will be plenty of food and crafts vendors available in and around Market Square.

Hunley will be performing some old favorites as well as several new songs from his recently released CD, Shoot From The Heart. The CD is available locally at Cat's Records, the Disc Exchange, Ernest Tubb Records, Wal-Mart and on-line at conhunley.com. For a limited time, IMMI Records is offering a free download of "Just Like Old Times" from Shoot From The Heart to visitors to the conhunley.com web site.

"Knoxville is my home, and it's great to perform for the hometown crowd," Hunley said in a recent interview. He added, "It's always a thrill to participate in the Dogwood Arts Festival events, and I'm especially honored to perform this year for our heros in the armed forces and their families."

Spin Factor
By Ron Wynn, rwynn@nashvillecitypaper.com
February 14, 2006

Con Hunley
Shoot From The Heart
(IMMI)

Expressive, heartfelt ballads have always been a major part of the country canon, but there’s also a fine line between empathetic statement and overly maudlin fare. Con Hunley shows on such numbers as “Deep In The Arms Of Texas,” “I Can’t Make It Alone” and “Just Like Old Times” how to communicate and present romantic thoughts, tender feelings, and sentimental testimony without becoming melodramatic or ineffective. He also delves into uptempo territory at times, particularly on “That Old Clock,” and delivers a solid tribute to longtime idol Ray Charles with a fine rendition of “Georgia On My Mind.” With a string of outstanding songs provided by a cross-section of venerable and contemporary songwriters, Con Hunley is in top form on Shoot From The Heart.

Copyright 2006 The City Paper, LLC

Soundcheck
by Bill Littleton
February 2006

Con Hunley - Shoot From The Heart - IMMI Records

Well, Ole Con is back in full abundance -- we recently got a CD update of his very first album from "way back" and now here's some new material. The music endeavor has always had a few folks who fit nowhere and everywhere, almost to the point that they are genres within themselves. If anybody fits that description as well as Sonny James, it's Con Hunley, who obviously got to where he is listening to a lot of different things but never losing himself. His pairing with producer Norro Wilson is appropriate, as the same description applies there. Combined with a tremendous slate of pickers and a vocal group that is comprised of two brothers and a sister of Con's, we have a powerhouse. Oh, yeah ... the songs. The songs may be the strongest reflection of his country music influence, as they bounce around the emotional scale like pingpong balls in an earthquake. Larry Bastion's "I Can See You With My Eyes Closed" gets my vote for radio play where such matters are still decided by real music people, but anything on here would work. "Why Me Lord," especially, has a dramatic touch that your heart could just be ready for.

Copyright 2006 Uncle Willam's Place

Tuesday February 14, 2006

30-year-old song by Gravel Switch woman finally released

By JENNIFER BRUMMETT
jenb@amnews.com

It might have languished for 30 years, but the song Jeanne Lane penned back in the 1970s finally has been released. What's more, it's on two recordings.

The song, titled "Look At Me Loving You Again," is on two Con Hunley recordings. It was written by Lane, of Penn's Store and Outhouse Blowout fame, in early 1974. She re-arranged it in 1975 with her co-writer, Kelly Bach, who died in 2001. It was recorded in 1976 by then-rising country music star Hunley, who Lane describes as a "country-rhythm and blues singer."

Then, "the master was kept under lock and key by producer Larry Morton," Lane says. Changing producers and labels led to the song being shelved for years, she adds.

"It has to go in the Guinness Book of (World) Records for sitting on the shelf," Lane notes.

On Jan. 10, "Look At Me Loving You Again" was released on Hunley's latest album by Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee and famed producer Norro Wilson. That recording is called "Shoot From The Heart."

The song, in its "original production," Lane explains, also was released by producer Larry Morton on Hunley's "The First Time from Studio B" album.

Lane says the song itself came from a friend talking about her romantic woes.

Stroke of good fortune

"A friend of mine at the time- this was early 1974 - was relating her romantic woes and made the comment, 'Hey, look at me, loving him again.' And, I thought, 'Wow! Now, there's a song!' So I wrote it," Lane explains. "It had a melody I was not quite thrilled about, though, so I stored it away.

"Then everything began happening. I met Kelly Bach that summer and we began writing together. By autumn, I signed a songwriters contract with 4 Star Music of Nashville and Hollywood, as did Kelly. One of our songs was picked as the new single for Jerry Wallace - his hits included 'Primrose Lane,' 'In The Misty Moonlight,' 'To Get To You,' and 'Release Me' - and also was chosen as the title song for his album."

The stroke of good fortune didn't stop with Wallace.

"Jimmy Elledge, who released 'Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away,' of Willie Nelson fame, was releasing another one of our songs, 'One By One," Lane says. "I also did some writing with another lady and one of our songs had just been recorded. I also was doing demo work with Lee Martell, a friend of Jimi Hendrix's bass player, Billy Cox. So, by early 1975, things were really busy - I was writing a lot and doing demos.

"Our Wallace cut, 'Coming Home to You' was making its way up the charts - it went to either 38 or 40 on Billboard - the album was doing great, and "One By One" had come on the charts. I never thought about the song I had written a year earlier until one night at dinner with Martell, Kelly, and some others.

"Billy Cox stopped by the table. Somehow the conversation came around to old songs written, and I happened to remember then that song I had written. I told them a little about it, and when they asked to hear some of it, I did the first couple lines. Everyone said 'Wow!' They thought it was great."

Song was reborn

Lane says Bach wanted to work on it with her. Her original title was changed, as were some words and music. Then the song was born - or reborn.

Lane was in Nashville Jan. 19 at a release party for "Shoot From The Heart." She loves that the song is coming out of obscurity now.

"It is truly amazing," says Lane. "To have the same song on two albums at the same time - one production from 1976 and the other from 2006. Even more amazing, it took 30 years.

"All of us along the way connected with the song have always believed in it, though. And there's no one else I would rather have sing that song than Con. I know Kelly would say the same if he were here. Con Hunley is one of the greatest voices on the planet today."

She isn't sure exactly what the release of this song will mean to or for her.

"It's bringing back a songwriting career - maybe," she says. "Dawn and I have been doing some things together. ... We'll just see where it takes us."

The recordings are for sale at Penn's Store in Gravel Switch, as well as larger music stores.

Copyright The Advocate-Messenger 2006

Shoot From the Heart

Con Hunley

IMMI Records

* * * * (out of 5)

If you're new to country music, the name Con Hunley may not be familiar to you, but make no mistake, this artist is no johnny-come-lately. Con had a string of hits in the 70s and 80s and then walked away from the industry. However, music never left him and by the 90s, he was performing again, locally and at celebrity golf tournaments. In 2004, Con released his comeback album, Sweet Memories, to critical acclaim. Now, he's following up that success with his new album, Shoot From the Heart.

Shoot From the Heart is filled with strong, passionate, soulful ballads. Not only are the songs excellent choices for Con, he infuses each song with enough emotion for you to feel that emotion. While there is no doubt this album is country, steel guitar is heard clearly throughout the album, there are also other influences on this album. From a southwestern flair, to a pop feel, to Gospel, to Soul, this album is a great blend of musical styles.

Although most of the songs on this CD are excellent, there are a few that stand out. “I Can't Make It Alone” starts off emotionally restrained but at the chorus the heart-wrenching truth in the words comes on strong. He walked away from the woman that he needed and now he knows he was wrong, but it's too late. The song builds to a crescendo of emotion only to return to a restrained acceptance. Con's tribute to Ray Charles, “Georgia on my Mind,” is a fitting tribute, indeed. Managing to keep the song true to Ray's version, Con also managed to put his own style to it. You can bet Ray would be very pleased with this rendition of his classic song. “That Old Clock,” is three minutes of rollicking good fun. The strong piano presence gives the song an old-time rock and roll feel. Although Con does a great ballad, he can belt out the rockers and should put a couple more on his next album.

Shoot From the Heart is a definite pleasure. With strong songs and Con's vocal skill, you can't go wrong. Whether you're a long time fan or just now discovering Con, this is an album to add to your collection.

© 2006 Mary L. Duval, all rights reserved

I have been listening to Con's new cd for the past couple of days. Wow!!! After "Sweet Memories", I wasn't sure what to expect, but, Con has absolutely blown everyone away with "Shoot From The Heart". Honestly, I believe his vocals are just getting better and better. Incredible power and range, but, with such feeling. If the truth be told, Con's is a voice with heart. When he sings a song, you can believe it.

Here are some of my favorite tracks. The first being the title track, particularly when he sings about that old Stella guitar. I think we have all had that guitar at some time or other. Another one that gets to me is "The Keys". Somewhere along the line, each of us has been handed the keys, whether it was from one of our parents or grandparents or whoever happened to be taking care of you in those teen years. Those are the keys that open life's lessons. This is a real winner from the pens of Hank Cochran, Dean Dillon and Dale Dodson. But, after listening to all of the great songs on here several times, I keep going back to Con's tribute to Ray, with "Georgia On My Mind". An absolute stellar performance!!!

And I have to mention one other thing, that being the great instrumentation on this project. It is top notch all of the way, particularly the steel playing of my buddy, John Hughey.

After you listen to this new cd of Con Hunley's, you will agree, too, that it is his best, yet. "Shoot From The Heart", Con Hunley.

Con Hunley, WIVK, IMMI Records and Litton's Restaurant Host Contest Winners

By Charmin Foth

Litton's Restaurant, a Fountain City landmark, was the scene for Con Hunley's 'Shoot from the Heart' CD release and contest party. WIVK, IMMI Records and Litton's Restaurant hosted the evening's events for about 40 people, including 20 lucky WIVK listeners who won the opportunity to have dinner with Con and a preview of the CD with an intimate concert.

The worldwide radio debut of "Shoot From The Heart" took place January 10th on the prime-time show "The Ride," hosted by popular WIVK radio personality, Gunner. During the one-hour broadcast, Con and Gunner talked about the project, played selections from the CD and took live callers. The phone lines remained busy with hundreds of fans hoping for the opportunity to speak with Con throughout the entire interview.

Before dinner, fans were able to talk with Con about the new release and old times. Litton's, home of the best burger in Knoxville, treated Con's guests like royalty and Litton's back room was the setting for a wonderful night of music. Con played the heart-touching songs "I Can't Make It Alone" and "Hollow Man" from his new release, but the crowning moment of the evening came when he received a standing ovation with his tribute to Ray Charles' "Georgia On My Mind."

After the concert, IMMI Records gave out "goodie bags" with a copy of the "Shoot from the Heart" CD and fans had the opportunity to get photos and autographs. Con wrapped up the evening by thanking everyone for their support of his latest release.

Con Hunley Previews Album at BMI Party
Fri. January 20.2006 6:26 PM EST

When Knoxville's Con Hunley released a new album in 2004, it surprised a lot of people. "Anybody else would've just retired, but this is what I do," says Hunley over lunch at Litton's in Fountain City. "And as long as I can do it, why not?"

The reaction to the disc, "Sweet Memories" (Hunley's first album in more than 20 years), was wildly enthusiastic. Critics, including Billboard's Deborah Price, Music Row magazine's Robert K. Oermann and CMT's Edward Morris, praised the disc, and Hunley made appearances on CMT, GAC, XM Satellite radio and radio stations across the nation. E-mail from longtime fans began pouring in from all over the country, and the independently released disc (on IMMI Records) began selling online and at Wal-Mart stores. A single from the album, "She Ain't You," earned respectable play on independent country stations and became a bona fide "beach hit" on the Carolina coast. It seemed that fans were all just waiting for Hunley to return.

"When that record came out, I was hoping it would be well-received and hoping that if it wasn't that I'd be strong enough to handle it," says Hunley. "When the feedback started coming back, it was a real surprise and a real blessing."

Hunley definitely needed the encouragement. During the recording and release of the disc, he had overcome a longtime alcohol problem and had to deal with the deaths of his parents.

Yet it probably shouldn't have been such a surprise how the album was received. Hunley's voice and vocal instincts had only improved with age. His sound was steeped in classic honky-tonk and rhythm and blues - styles too-long absent from the airwaves. And in a time when much country music seems to be designed by marketing departments, Hunley sounded like a true individualist.

"All these people classify me as a stylist," says Hunley. "I don't just sing a song like other people. I don't feel it the same way."

His new album, "Shoot From the Heart," is no different. Once again, Hunley teamed up with legendary producer Norro Wilson (who helmed Hunley's first disc, in 1978) along with some of Nashville's best veteran session musicians. He also recorded in analog, rather than digital, believing that the medium has a warmer sound.

He chose songs that meant something to him - not because they were the correct drive-time tempo. He co-wrote several songs on the disc with songwriting greats, including Kim Williams, Larry Shell and Mountain Heart's Steve Gulley. And songwriter Larry Bastian had actually written the song "I Can See You With My Eyes Closed" for Hunley in 1983. During Hunley's absence from recording, Bastian hadn't pitched the song to another singer.

"He told me, 'I heard you were doing a CD, and I had to get it to you,'" says Hunley.

Williams, Gully and Shell wrote the song "Hollow Man."

"It's about recovery," says Hunley. "Having everything in the world and being empty inside. There's a spiritual message at the end."

A much older song, Kris Kristofferson's "Why Me," provides the coda to the disc.

Hunley was actually encouraged to sing the song by gospel great Bill Gaither. Gaither and his wife, Gloria, invited Hunley to a small gathering on a houseboat, which happened to be equipped with an electric piano.

"Bill said, 'I want to sing you my favorite gospel song,' and he sang 'Why me, Lord,'" Hunley says.

Gaither then asked Hunley to sing along and changed the key to accommodate Hunley's voice.

"I sang it, and then I looked around and everybody was crying. Bill was playing piano beside me, and I saw he had tears going down his cheeks. That experience really struck me."

Hunley says he made a vow after his mother died to include one gospel song dedicated to his mother on any new album he recorded.

If audiences didn't like Hunley's new album, it wouldn't be because they found it to be insincere.

"It's heartfelt, and it's honest," says Hunley. Unlike most modern singers, he refuses to augment his voice with any technological sweetening - something that the artists he has always admired would appreciate.

"When Ray Charles sang a song, it was from the depth of his soul," says Hunley. "You believed it. Same with George Jones. They sang and played from their souls."

There's little doubt that "Shoot From the Heart" is as appropriate an album title as Hunley could've chosen.

The AngryCountry.com Interview: Con Hunley

By Christine Bohorfoush

For those of our readers who are younger and new to country music, the name Con Hunley may not be familiar. But Con is no stranger to the country music scene. In the 70s and 80s, he had numerous hit singles including his biggest "Oh Girl" recorded in 1982. During that time, he was touring with various artists including George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Alabama, The Gatlin Brothers, The Oak Ridge Boys and others. In 1984, Con went with Capital Records. One of his recordings for them, "What Am I Going to Do About You," was a hit and one of twenty of his songs that made the top ten on the charts. It stayed on the charts for fifty-eight consecutive weeks. It was during these years that Con was nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year and Newcomer of the Year by ACM and CMA.

Con has played in venues large and small and still loves to perform more than just about anything. He has an active tour schedule and does appearances between recording sessions. He has continued to participate in charity golf tournaments, which makes the circle complete since his recording career was launched during the Acuff-Rose Tournament in Nashville. His latest project is a marriage of the old and new. He and Norro Wilson, his first producer at Warner Brothers Records, kept in touch and began talking about another project a few years ago. "We decided to do a new album, Sweet Memories, and enlisted the top musicians in Nashville," Con says.

After Con Hunley was brought to the attention of AngryCountry and upon reviewing his new album, I was so impressed with his soulful voice and the return to true traditional storytelling songs that Sweet Memories brought, I knew that I wanted to reintroduce Con to our readers and ask the questions that both his fans, old and new, wanted to ask of him.

*****************************************************************************

Christine: Con, as one of six children, I understand that your first entrance into the world of music was singing gospel songs at church with your family... could you tell our readers more about this?

Con: Well, you know, Christine, for a number of years I thought that everybody played some instrument and sang. From the time that I was born, I was surrounded by that... all my aunts and uncles, on both sides of my family, on my mother's and father's side, all played and sang. And there were people in the neighborhood who played and sang. Of course, at that time a lot of the relatives kind of lived close. So I thought that everybody played and sang. There was a number of years before I realized that this wasn't really the case. They both inspired me to want to play; and of course, the early beginnings was in church. My grandfather on my mother's side was a preacher in a Church of God, and from a early time my mother always sang in church as well as with her brothers and sisters... they sang harmony and were very talented. And so when I was born, there was just me and my sister, Beth, for a while and then my brother, Steve, came along. We were all encouraged to sing and to sing gospel music and we did. Then I learned to play guitar; I remember that I got an old used Stella guitar when I was like nine years old... I think it was a Christmas present. I drug that thing around the house and they taught me chord patterns and several songs. Actually at the time, my hands were too small to really make the chords, but I managed to learn some simple songs. That's really the early beginnings... it was just family.

Christine: Well, you first taught yourself to play guitar by ear and learned Ray Charles' "What'd I Say"... what was it about Ray Charles that so influenced you?

Con: My first hero... the first person whom I idolized musically... was Chet Atkins. I really wanted to be a thumb style guitar player. I worked on the thumb style playing and I used to listen to all of his albums. Back in the 60s, Ray Charles came out with the song "What'd I Say" and just the kick-off on the piano kind of reached out and grabbed me and I just loved it. Of course, I was a fan of Jerry Lee Lewis and I never really had thought much about learning to play piano. But when I heard the song, it just kind of set me on fire. During that time, my folks had bought an old used upright piano to give my sister, Beth, piano lessons... to be able to accompany the family group singing in church. So when my sister wasn't on the piano - and there was this local guy in the neighborhood who was teaching her how to read music - I was on the piano. You've heard of the old hunt and peck on the typewriter? That was sort of what I was doing on the piano. With the Ray Charles thing, I was doing my best to learn the intro and finally did and that is what really influenced me and that particular song. Of course, the more I became acquainted with Ray Charles' music, the more I enjoyed it and the more I appreciated it because it always seemed like he sang from the very pit of his soul and from his heart. It was always so inspired and it just touched me. I was a huge fan from the get-go!

Christine: In May of 1965, you joined the Air Force to learn a trade... could you tell our readers about your military experience?

Con: It was really a great experience... the draft was still in effect at that time and I was going to be drafted into the Army. I thought, 'Well, I'll just go ahead and join the Air Force because I thought that they had some great programs available as far as learning a trade.' I was always pretty mechanically inclined; I could fix things and figure things out from an early age. When I went into the Air Force, I went through basic training in Texas. I was shipped out to a base in Illinois for Air Training Command, so I went through tech school there. I made really good grades and it came pretty easy for me. And so after going through tech school, they pulled me out to become an instructor in what I had chosen as a career field... that was Aircraft Hydraulic and Pneumatic Systems. I taught that for two years at the Air Training Command in Illinois. That was during the Vietnam War and they needed technicians and mechanics and what have you. So they pulled me as an instructor and that is where I was for the better part of two years.

Christine: I understand that a golf tournament helped lead to a record deal in 1977 with Warner Brothers Records... could you explain more about how this came to be?

Con: Well, when I got out of the service, I spent a little time in California... I had a good friend that I was in the service with; he got shipped to Vietnam and I stayed in Illinois. Then I wound up in Castle Air Force Base in California. But he and I got out of the service about the same time and so I spent some time with he and his family in California. Anyway, I moved back to Tennessee and at that time I was into the music thing and tried to play as much as I could. But when I moved back home, I was kind of a stranger in my own town... I didn't know a lot of the people, especially musicians or anyone who was playing in a band. I started playing at a place called the Corner Lounge which was a Thursday night gig that I started doing just to be heard. And then there was a place called the Village Barn and I played there for quite some time. Just out of the clear blue a friend of mine at WIVK Radio, Bobby Denton, played every year in the Acuff-Rose Golf Tournament in Nashville. It just so happened that this particular year he asked me if I wanted to go with him to the golf tournament. I said, 'Sure.' He said, 'Well, I think that I can get you an invitation.' I love to golf! I wasn't great at it, but I love it and I enjoyed it; and I certainly enjoyed the music part of the tournaments. So anyway, I went down there and we played golf. Generally after golf, they have a little banquet and they give the awards. After that they generally have what they call "a guitar pulling" and it is like a big suite at a hotel and there is a number of songwriters, singers, pickers, and grinners in the room. We went there just to listen... I mean, I was just sitting there on the floor with my legs folded listening to all the great songs... Chet Atkins was in the room. They were passing the guitar around and people were doing new songs and old songs and songs they had written and all of this. Out of the blue, the guitar was sitting pretty close to me, having gone around and around the room. My friend, Bobby Denton, said, 'Well Con, why don't you sing one?' I thought, 'Oh my God.' It scared me to death... I mean, I was sitting there listening and very relaxed and suddenly the heat was turned on me and I'm sure my heart rate jumped to 160. (we laugh) As it turned out, I sang a couple of songs. I did not know it at the time, but there were a couple of people from Warner Brothers Records in the room. Everyone seemed to like what they had heard. I did not think about it much at the time, but about two weeks later Warner Brothers chartered a plane and flew to East Tennessee and brought a bunch of people in. I was playing at the Village Barn and they came out to hear me and the next thing you know, I got offered a contract. People ask me how it happened, and I said 'well, playing golf.' After Warner Brothers began pursuing me for a contract, I had offers from a total of five major labels in a matter of two weeks. It was unbelievable! I was almost overwhelmed by it all.

Christine: In the 70s and 80s, you recorded many hits to include your biggest "Oh Girl" and you were nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year and Newcomer of the Year... with so much success under your belt, what led you to leave country music behind? And why do you feel now is the right time to return to it?

Con: Well, Christine, I don't know if I left it or it left me or if it was a combination of both... but I had been with Warner Brothers for five years and I had some friends at MCA and they were wanting me to leave Warner Brothers and come to MCA because it was kind of a happening label in the country division. The Oak Ridge Boys were there and they were good friends of mine and I traveled with them a good bit. They sang back-up on the single of "Oh Girl." So we were great friends and they were with MCA. So I decided to leave Warner Brothers when my contract was up in '82. I signed with MCA and Jim Fogelsong was the head of the label at the time. After three or four months, we were kind of beating the bushes and looking for songs; and I had recorded three or four songs... we were probably three or four songs deep into an album. The next thing I know, Fogelsong is removed as the label head and they brought in a new label head and I wasn't going to be a part of their country division. That kind of knocked the legs out from under me, if you know what I mean. It is kind of tough...no label... no nothing... and nobody knocking on the door. As it turned out, Jim Fogelsong wound up at Capital Records after some months. When he went to Capital, he signed me to a contract there. The same thing happened there…we were three or four songs deep into an album... in fact, I had a song called "Quittin' Time," which is a pretty big airplay record. And I also had a song called "What in the World Am I Going to Do About You" that was on the charts for like fifty something weeks, ya know? Even after the same thing happened to me at Capital that had happened to me at MCA... the changes and stuff and I got let go... they could not kill the record. The record continued to play…radio loved it, and the people. After that happened, I thought 'Well, I really take a lot of pride in choosing really good songs... it just seemed like I was butting my head against the wall, so maybe it was best for me to just kind of pull away from it for a while and see what happens.' I really thought that I would get an offer from another label or something would pop up. Although I did not bang on the doors like I probably should have and as time goes by, the industry people forget about you. Once the industry forgets about you, it doesn't take long before the listening audience kind of forgets about you. As it turned out, I didn't have any recorded product for quite some time... probably eighteen years. Then this opportunity came up with IMMI Records and what is probably so nice about this situation is that I have creative control. I do not have to go before a board or a bunch of people who have never played... never sung... never been on a stage... and don't know the first thing about great country music. They may know marketing and they may know this that or the other from a corporate perspective, but they do not know much about the creative process, once you get into the studio. This situation here just offered me the right situation and I could not be happier. Although it has been a while, I am finding out that people really remember me and my style of music... God, the reviews and the response that we have been getting to the album is just been fantastic, Christine.

Christine: I can believe that, Con... in listening to the country music fans that AngryCountry comes in contact with every day, the fans are not being listened to. I repeatedly hear the questions like, What has happened to the real traditional country music?... the storytelling songs? Why are they jamming this "I Love This Bar" kind of music down country listeners’ throats constantly? Quality country music seems to have taken a back seat to the junk.

Con: Well, you know this is one of the things about the situation that I am in with IMMI Records... the music that I am making is real; it's about life and it is life. I saw a quote one time by Louis Armstrong; it read "What I play is life." Well, what I sing is life!

Christine: That is exactly what everyone out here who loves country music... why we love it; because it is songs that one can relate to.

Con: Absolutely! The kind of songs that I do... I don't cut songs that I cannot identify with or that don't speak to me. Ultimately, you can't sing something that you don't feel or don't believe. I am just real thankful and grateful for what is going on right now. I think there is going to be a trend more to what I am doing and what is going on with music right now. You know, I hate to use the term that Norro Wilson used, but you know, the term is "cookie cutter music."

Christine: (laughing hard) Norro must have taken that from our site.

Con: (laughing) He might have. He might have. You know, it is difficult to tell one artist from another... all the styles are the same... there is no individuality, which takes some of the believability out of all of it. We are just going to keep on doing what we are doing... we are going to sing from the heart and from the soul. We just want it to be real. That is what we did in the studio. I remember going into the studio when we were working on Sweet Memories, with some of the greatest musicians in Nashville... I said that what we are going to do here today is let you play what you feel. God, you talk about such a wonderful time in the studio; you could just tell that the guys were having a good time. They played licks that you probably would not hear on any other album because they were not trying to be commercial this or that; what they were being is real and what they were playing came from their hearts. We just had a wonderful time.

Christine: I think that the industry underrates the fans because they get it... they understand, as I do, that an artist always knows their music best and must have the freedom to make their music their way.

Con: Yes, and I want to tell you that with all that is going on and all the various outlets that there are musically for the fans... you can go directly to the fan's ear now. I think that the industry is going to have to say, Oops! Wait a minute, we cannot force this down the fans’ throats... they want this or they want that.

Christine: Having been away from country music for a number of years, what changes have you found with today's music industry? And with country radio?

Con: Having been away for as long as I have been away, it is difficult for me to get what they call major country radio airplay. What we are doing is working all of the markets; I mean we just aren't leaving any stone unturned. It is a little difficult, but with the Internet and all of the outlets that there are, we are probably in the best place that we could be right now as far as things being the way they are.

Christine: To follow up on that, will you be attending CRS (Country Radio Seminar) this year?

Con: I'm going to try to... I don't know exactly what my schedule is going to be. I do know that we are working on it, as we speak. We are going to do our best to be there.

Christine: After nearly a twenty year absence from recording, you have recently returned to IMMI Records to make your debut album Sweet Memories... reuniting with Producer Norro Wilson... could you tell our readers more about this?

Con: Actually how it came about is that a friend of mine who was with Capital Records, when I was over there, he was kind of helping with A and R... his name was Terry Chote. They were going to have the induction for Norro into the songwriters’ Hall of Fame in Nashville. And so Terry called me and he was kind of putting the thing together and they were going to not only induct Norro, but Buck Owens and two or three more. He called me and said, "You know, I think it would be a wonderful surprise and treat if you would come and do the huge hit that Norro had with Charlie Rich called "The Most Beautiful Girl." It would just be you and the piano and you'll be spotlighted and it will be a total surprise." I said that I thought it would be great, and so I went down and we had a little rehearsal... they had a couple of spots set up in the venue where people were going to perform the inductees’ songs. When it came time for Norro to be inducted, they put me on this circular stage and the spotlight panned over to me and I did "The Most Beautiful Girl in The World" and I looked around and Norro was crying like a baby. We had not seen each other in quite some time, we talked occasionally, but we had not seen each other in quite some time. It was just a real emotional time and there were a lot of industry people there. When it was all over, there were just a number of industry people who came to me and said, "Con, you need to be recording again. We miss your style, your voice, it is different and unique. You just need to be recording again." Of course, Norro was standing there and that's how one thing lead to another and how Sweet Memories came about. And of course with the help of Dean Dillion, who is a great friend of mine, he had some songs that I loved. In fact, one of the first songs that we cut is "A Chance," which Dean wrote with me in mind.

Christine: (laughing) Oh, that is my favorite cut from the Sweet Memories album.

Con: Well, at the time, we thought that we might be able to get a major label deal... but you know, it is all about the 27/27... you have to be 27 years old and have a 27 inch waist; they don't say anything about being able to sing. (he laughs)

Christine: Now wait a minute! You see, it is different for me... I'm not one of those who is gaga for Kenny Chesney or Toby Keith; they do not do a thing for me. I do not want to hear all about your latest experience in some bar or about lounging on the beach all day; sing me something that moves me and reaches in and touches my soul. I grew up listening to Motown... and there's a lot of difference in singing about some bar and having Smokey Robinson sing "O Baby Baby." Now that's what I'm talking about!

Con: (laughing) You know, all that old R and B stuff... well, I've always loved music - country or otherwise- that touches me. That is really how Sweet Memories came about; and of course, the IMMI Records situation and being an independent. We have had tremendous success with IMMI and the initial response to the album. I am just so thankful for everything, Christine… it's going really well. I mean, we aren't setting the woods on fire and probably won't go Platinum - you never know - but the response from the people who appreciate real country music has just been tremendous.

Christine: Con, I speak with country music fans every day and I know that this style of music is what they are yearning to have return to country music radio airwaves... the pure country storytelling songs. It is only the teeny bopper handful who is following these "flavor of the month" artists. They do not want the concerts with half-naked women on the stage and the rock show atmosphere. What the true country music fan continues to want is the artist that performs through sheer talent and songwriting ability. Unfortunately, what they are getting is what today's country radio and the industry is jamming down their throats.

Con: That is absolutely right! They make people believe that this is all that is out there. Well, guess what? That is not all that is out there. I think, more and more, you are going to find people doing what we are doing. And I think that you are going to find changes, and you already are seeing changes. There are so many what they call "classic radio stations" popping up every day. They are starting to play more of the older songs, I know that WIVK in Knoxville is. I think that they are beginning to get the message; I mean, good God how many times a day can you hear the same ten or twelve records? I also think that there is a whole country music listener audience that is being ignored.

Christine: I think that more and more of the artists are also returning or fighting to continue to record more traditional country music stylings.

Con: Absolutely right! The artists want to go back to where they have creative control... they do not want to have somebody sitting there who is twenty-six or thirty years old who has never been on stage or played an instrument in their life trying to tell them what to do, ya know? Music by community; well, that is a crock! It is just not how it goes.

Christine: I understand that Sweet Memories is also an album that you dedicated to your Mom (Priscilla) who passed away in 1999... could you tell us about why the song "Amazing Grace," for example, from the album meant so much to her?

Con: As I mentioned early, Christine, my early influence and background was in gospel. It was church oriented and very spiritual. Mom had a great deal to do with my early musical beginnings and she had a number of songs that she absolutely loved. I did a little theatre thing for a while in Pigeon Forge and she and Dad used to come up and see the show. I would do the Mickey Newberry thing "Sweet Memories" and you could tell that it took her back when she listened to the song. It took her back, I am sure, to the days when she was young or when she was newly married and when we were young. I could just tell that she got lost in the song. She would tell me every time how much she loved the song. In the process of doing this project, I decided that I would dedicate it to her memory because she meant so much to me and she was so influential in my early musical beginnings. I worked up a version of "Amazing Grace" and she loved it, so I thought that I would do those two songs and dedicate the entire project to her memory. I remember going into the studio with the guys and we had some time left... "Amazing Grace" was kind of almost an afterthought for the album. We had already done "Sweet Memories" and I was talking to Norro and some of the guys had already unplugged in the studio. And Norro said, "You want to do that?" because I had already told him that I wanted to do "Amazing Grace." I didn't know how it would be received or what the guys would think about it, ya know? But Norro said, "Hey boys, before we take off, let’s do "Amazing Grace" right quick... Con's got his own version of it and let’s do it right quick." Well, I sat down at the piano and started playing it and everyone began to plug back in and get into their parts.

Christine: Isn't it funny how you can always feel when a song begins to touch you and others?

Con: Well, you know what happened? When we began to play "Amazing Grace," I betcha we played it for twenty minutes. They did not want to quit; it was such an inspirational thing... you could just feel it. I mean, there was just chills on me and there was definitely something going on in the studio when we recorded it. I remember that George Clinton, who was the engineer…their light went off and we continued to play. There was just something magical about the song and I am real tickled with the way it all turned out.

Christine: With two singles from the album doing well on the charts "Only Time Will Tell" and the remake of Bill Anderson's "Still"... do you have plans to tour in promotion of the new album?

Con: Oh, absolutely! In fact while I am in Nashville, I am going to try and get some booking agents and we are going to start trying to get out there.

Christine: (laughing) Great! Because I want to be there for one of your concerts.

Con: (laughing) Well, I definitely want to do that... when I was out working on the road before, we stayed out there quite a bit. It was fun to me; that's the part of it that I absolutely loved…when you can go and connect with those people who listen to you and who buy your records and you have a personal connection with. It is great to sit there and listen to them sing along or they close their eyes and kind of move back and forth with the music; that is a wonderful feeling!

Christine: While you are in Nashville, it is said that you will be taping Bill Cody's GAC Classic Country TV Show to air on February 9th... could you tell our readers more about this?

Con: Well, Bill Cody and I have been friends for quite a long time. He has been very supportive of me since really we went in and did three or four sides on this particular project. I took it to him, right off the bat, and he played it on SM right off the bat. He and I have really established a great friendship and he is a believer in what we do. He has just been really kind to us, so to go in and spend time with him on GAC is great. He is very knowledgeable, and like I said, he believes in what we are doing.

Christine: You so enjoyed being back in the studio that it is said you are already looking forward to future projects... what is next for Con Hunley?

Con: Initially, Christine, we were talking about maybe cherry picking some of the old stuff... the old Warner Brothers/ Capital stuff and doing maybe a "Best of Con Hunley" and putting maybe three or four new songs on the CD. As it has turned out, it looks like we are going to get access to the old stuff, so I know that we are probably going to wind up with the old stuff at Warner Brothers... and we are trying to work out a licensing arrangement with MCA/Capital to get the old stuff over there and to go ahead and bring it over to IMMI. If that does not happen, we will cherry pick the albums and bring some of the hit songs and go back into the studio and re-record them and then do three or four new songs. And if that does not happen, then we are pretty much going to do what we did this time with Sweet Memories... we will pick out great songs that I have done over the years that I have never recorded and some new material and will probably go back into the studio some time in June or July. I am really looking forward to another project; I have mentioned it to Norro and of course, he is chomping at the bit. There will be other projects coming from IMMI and from Con Hunley.

Christine: We have a signature question that we like to ask each artist that we speak with... what is the one thing that your fans would be most surprised to know about you?

Con: Hmmm, I don't really know. And of course, they already know that I like to golf. I am somewhat of a mechanic... I have a couple of old cars and I like to tinker with them. They might be surprised to know that I like to get out the old mechanic's toolbox every once in a while and work on my own cars.

Christine: And finally, is there anything else that you would like to say to your fans and to our readers?

Con: Well, I would just like to say that I am very thankful and grateful for what is going on. I want them to stay tuned and stay with me; we have more music coming.

2005 Indie Label Special Issue

Featured Artist
Con Hunley

Label: IMMI Records

No stranger to success in the record industry, Con Hunley has had over 20 top ten hits in his career and was a major-label recording artist for Warner Bros., MCA, and Capitol, during the ’70s and ’80s.

His timeless voice recently received nationwide airplay on “Still,” the singer’s first release from his long-awaited CD Sweet Memories on IMMI records. Now, Hunley returns to the airwaves with a second single from the same CD titled “Only Time Will Tell,” written by Dean Dillon, John Northrup, and Tommy Rocco.

Hunley’s career first jump-started at a guitar pull after a Nashville celebrity golf tournament. Five days later he had offers from five major labels. Today, this singer still embraces his passion for golf by hosting his own annual tournament in Knoxville with proceeds benefiting the Golden Glove Charities, which provide opportunities in sports for underprivileged kids. To date, the event has raised more than a million dollars.

Current Single: “Only Time Will Tell”
Current Album: Sweet Memories

Producer(s): Norro Wilson
Home Town: Fountain City, Tennessee

Birth Date: April 9th

Interesting Facts: Recent TV Appearances: Bill Cody’s Country Classics and Storme Warren’s Country Music Across America on GAC-TV, Mornings On Fox with Charlie Chase
Interests: Golf

Veteran Country Acts Find Life After Radio

By Deborah Evans Price

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - When a veteran country act releases a new record, expectations about radio airplay -- or the lack of it -- are usually realistic.

But creativity knows no shelf life, so artists who want to continue making music have to find more inventive ways of reaching the consumer. And their labels have to find ways to sell records without major-market radio exposure.

Bill Anderson, John Conlee, David Frizzell and Con Hunley are among the veteran artists who are proving there's life beyond the airplay charts.

Anderson is readying a new country album and enjoying success as a songwriter. Frizzell has a hits package out and a new album due later in January. Hunley returned to recording after a lengthy hiatus to find himself still in some demand. And both Anderson and Conlee issued gospel albums last year.

So is there life beyond the top 10?

"Absolutely," says Dave Roy, VP of product development at Madacy Entertainment, which will distribute Frizzell's new album. "Our biggest successes in the past couple of years have been (with) classic artists, all of whom have enjoyed a lot of hits and a lot of time at the top of the charts, whether it (was in) the '60s, '70s or '80s.

LOST IN THE CROWD

Roy adds, "There's a need out there and a thirst that sometimes is not satisfied because the consumer can't find what they are looking for with the onslaught of all the new product that kind of gets in the way."

Hunley agrees. "There's an audience out there that's not being sung to or played to," he says. "Maybe I can touch those people. I'm just going to keep doing what I do, and hopefully they'll hear it, like it and buy it."

Virtually shut out by major-market country radio stations, these artists and their labels are finding other avenues of exposure in secondary radio markets, the Internet, in-store retail appearances, the Great American Country cable channel and satellite radio operators Sirius and XM. All those outlets have been helpful in letting consumers know that some of their favorite classic country acts have new music available.

Lisa Starbuck, president of Knoxville, Tenn.-based IMMI Records, says grassroots promotion is key in exposing classic country acts. Particularly successful in promoting new works by these acts have been in-store performances at big-box retailers.

"Every town has a Wal-Mart, and we've been fortunate to be working with Wal-Mart to do some grassroots promotion," Starbuck says.

CHARTING THEIR OWN COURSE

One thing the artists appreciate about this new phase of their careers is the ability to chart their own course. Both Anderson and Frizzell have their own labels. Anderson has TWI Records. And though it has become active only recently, Frizzell has had his Nashville America Records label since 1986.

Frizzell first rose to prominence as Shelly West's duet partner in the early 1980s, then went on to have such solo hits as "I'm Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home." When the hits slowed down, he bought a farm in Cross Plains, Tenn., and opened a venue where he performed and booked other artists.

But the recording bug never left him. He reactivated the label in 2001 and released an album, relishing the independent process.

"We have promoters working with us," says Frizzell, whose new album, "Confidentially," will be released Jan. 25. "We have distributors working with us. We are as good as any record label, and this way I can make the judgment calls and can do it without sitting in front of a board of directors."

Calling the shots is a departure for Frizzell. "I've been with quite a few labels in the past, and once I would get my part of the record done, I had nothing else to do with it anymore," he says.

Hunley's debut last year on IMMI Records, "Sweet Memories," was his first recording in nearly 20 years. He charted 25 country singles on the Billboard charts during stints on Warner Bros., MCA and Capitol during the '70s and '80s before becoming disillusioned with the music industry and returning to his East Tennessee home. Hunley played occasional concerts, and ran a successful dry cleaning business.

A few years ago, he performed during producer Norro Wilson's induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. The two decided to return to the studio together, and the result is "Sweet Memories."

"We had such fun being in the studio together and doing what we liked," Hunley says. "There was nobody telling us we needed to do this here or do this there. We turned the studio musicians loose and let them be creative, which I think is what music is all about. It was a labor of love."

AN EXPENSIVE DEMO

Anderson, whose last top 10 hit as an artist came in 1978, is extremely high-profile these days. Among his recent hits, the Grand Ole Opry star wrote the Brad Paisley/Alison Krauss hit "Whiskey Lullaby" with Jon Randall. The song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart last year and won two Country Music Assn. awards.

Anderson plans to release a new country album later in January that will include his version of "Whiskey Lullaby," performed with Kenzie Wetz, the fiddle player in his band.

"It's all original stuff. I wrote or co-wrote everything on there," Anderson says of the new record, which he plans to sell via his Web site. (Previous Anderson albums started on his Web site, then were picked up by Varese Saraband, Curb and Madacy.)

While largely overlooked by terrestrial radio, "Him and Me," a song from Anderson's new country project, has been getting airplay on XM for several months, and Anderson says it has generated a big response from listeners. (Anderson hosts a show on XM.)

Anderson is grateful for all the alternative avenues available for exposing his music, because he has no plans to retire.

"Obviously you have to do it the way the major labels do it and get in the top 10 on the charts to hit the home run and to drive the Cadillac," he says, "but there's a whole lot of Chevrolets out there on the road.

"I've had No. 1 records, but I've never tried to build my career just strictly around the records," Anderson continues. "I've tried to do good live performances and entertain the fans. I'm still able to work an awful lot off of that and the fact that I've always paid a lot of attention to my fan base.

"Those are the things that have enabled me to continue to have a career without having to go in and spend a million dollars in cutting an album and getting it out on a major label."

Excerpt from Article "Top 10 Country Albums of 2004"

Contemporary Superstars, Newcomers and Seasoned Veterans Make the List

Timing is everything. That's exactly why CMT.com's daily news writers waited until the end of the year to compile our year-end lists of the best albums of 2004.

To avoid any possibility of fisticuffs during the holiday season, the writers did not openly discuss their choices before committing them to a written list.

Edward Morris' Top 10

OK, OK. I'll tell you my Top 10 list of albums for this year, but I'll be damned if I'm going to rank them for you. That would be like ranking food, sex and Seinfeld re-runs. It all rather depends on the moment, doesn't it? Well, the following have given me some of my best moments.

Tim McGraw , Live Like You Were Dying (Curb): I don't know if Tim McGraw sits alone in the dark and listens intently to songs before he decides to record them. But this album makes me believe so. He's country music's least affected and most emotionally potent emissary.

Steve Earle, The Revolution Starts Now (E-Squared/Artemis): Any man (or woman) who sings for a saner, more compassionate world, as Earle does here, has my vote. See you at the barricades.

Gene Watson, Gene Watson Sings (Intersound): Watson has the kind of voice that would stop George Jones in his tracks. So silky, intimate and sure of itself. Just listen to him put the chrome on the old pop standard, "What a Difference a Day Made," and all will be revealed to you.

Mary Chapin Carpenter, Between Here and Gone (Columbia): Let's just say I'm a pushover for smart women who think too much. Country music is better for the elegance and eloquence Carpenter's songs bring to it.

Con Hunley, Sweet Memories (Immi): This may be the most underappreciated album of the year. Hunley doesn't just sing lyrics; he caresses them. To hear to him transform "Don't Touch Me," traditionally viewed as a woman's song, into raw male yearning is to witness magic. The same goes for his treatments of "Still" and "Sweet Memories." This is a textbook of style.

Various Artists, Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster (Emergent): This aesthetically pleasing and historically important album demonstrates that Foster contributed much more to American popular music than the minstrel songs with which he's most identified. Listen to Olabelle's "Gentle Annie" and hear your heart break. The liner notes are a work of art.

Jesse McReynolds With Travis Wetzel, Bending the Rules (OMS): Since his brother's death, the surviving half of Jim & Jesse has continued to turn out inspired music. Here the trailblazing mandolinist teams up with "the mad fiddler" Wetzel for a romp through such finger-twisters as "El Cumbanchero," "Limehouse Blues" and "Sweet Georgia Brown."

James Alan Shelton, Half Moon Bay (Rebel): Shelton's job as Ralph Stanley's lead guitarist doesn't really afford him the room to stretch and shine. But this album does. There are a lot of familiar tunes (some with vocals) that Shelton makes brand new again. It's the kind of music you put on to work to -- and then realize you've stopped working to listen.

Various artists, The Unbroken Circle: The Musical Heritage of the Carter Family (Dualtone): Herein you can hear Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, George Jones, Willie Nelson and others of their galaxy. To paraphrase John F. Kennedy, there hasn't been this much musical talent in one place since the Carter Family recorded alone.

Alecia Nugent, Alecia Nugent (Rounder): Welcome a major addition to bluegrass. Nugent's delivery is sharp, intense and way past nuance. It is a voice that deals in strong feelings, not fuzzy, complex ones. Although she sounds like neither, Nugent is in the rarefied league of Rhonda Vincent and Sonya Isaacs, both of whom back her on this project.

Excerpt from Article "Whisperin'" Bill returns to the charts
November 5, 2004

By John Gerome

". . .'He's a terrific songwriter, and he's as hot as he can be right now,' said Con Hunley, a country singer on the comeback trail with a remake of Anderson's 'Still.' Hunley, a soulful singer and piano player in the style of Ray Charles, had changed the arrangement and some of the lyrics to "Still" and sought Anderson's approval. 'I went to his house and sat down in his living room at the piano,' Hunley recalled. 'He said, 'Let's hear what you did to my song.' I started singing, and he started rubbing his arms a little and after I was done he said, 'Con, I absolutely love this. You have made it a whole new song.' ' "

SOUNDCHECK

By Bill Littleton

Con Hunley - Sweet Memories, IMMI Records - www.conhunley.com

There was a weekend re-run of JEOPARDY the other day with a category related to country music. A snippet of "Dang Me" was played and NONE of the three contestants recognized Roger Miller; the thirtyish guy who guessed "Glen Campbell?", however, was quite familiar with Garth Brooks. You know I cried. And a part of me is crying right now as I imagine how many Toby Keith or Dixie Chicks fans have never heard Con Hunley.

This album has been out a few months, and the delay of our attention to it requires apology, since being easy to get sidetracked is not a legitimate excuse. So, apologies in tow, let's get on with it. Ray Charles and Charlie Rich are the first influences the non-initiated will think of (assuming they are familiar with THEM), but ole Con brings a sparkle of his own to songs both old and new -- this project, in fact, has a healthy balance of both, with the common thread of core-deep emotion and phrasing that always brings a surprise as you instinctly want to sing along. That balance is maintained through the personnel -- Con and co-producer Norro Wilson are old studio compadres; working with Boots Randolph and John Hughey is a new experience, with a mixture for the other excellent players -- a sister and two brothers provide backup harmonies and Con notes in the liner that another sister and brother "were not on this CD, but they sure could have been."

There is a family focus throughout the pull-out text; in fact, crediting his parents for an early involvement in music and dedicating the project to the memory of his mother, who died during the year it took to put all the pieces together. Ah, and what a blending it is!! The pacing is more subtle than the traditional "two up-tempos/a ballad/two uptempos/a ballad" (or vice versa) mindset; there is a complexity of tempos and textures and ... well, memories, which is what it's all about. How does a singer handle gems like "She Thinks I Still Care" that have been polished by such masters as George Jones and Anne Murray? Con shows us. Have you ever thought of "Don't Touch Me" as being sung from a male perspective? Well, you will now. What about those wonderful spoken passages Bill Anderson wrote into "Still" -- can they be SUNG? Con proves they can. There are also a few new (at least to me) Dean Dillon songs that promise a whole new crop of memories; how 'bout, "Only Time Will Tell And Time Ain't Talkin'"?

I've probably ticked more people off with my inclusivity perception of country music than with any of my other eccentricities, but the proof continues to lie in authenticity. The late Vince Matthews wrote a song that essentially said if you don't know who Bradley Kincaid is, you don't really know country music; I'll go so far as to say if you can listen to Con Hunley sing the songs on this album and not feel a shiver in your soul at least every six or eight bars, you don't UNDERSTAND country music. I personally don't know anyone who would fit that.

copyright 2004, Bill Littleton, thebridgeworks

Country superstar Hunley returns to charts
By Ron Wynn, rwynn@nashvillecitypaper.com
November 03, 2004

Country music superstar Con Hunley has always insisted on musical integrity and independence. That refusal to make music by committee led Hunley to simply turn his back on the industry in the mid-'80s, though he never stopped performing. But one of the genre's genuinely soulful stars and great natural voices has thankfully returned to the scene.

Hunley's new release Sweet Memories (IMMI) has already generated widespread fan and radio response, thanks to his masterful reworking of Bill Anderson's 1963 smash "Still."

"I wouldn't have released the song if Bill had a problem with the way I did it," Hunley said. "It's been done a bit differently, but Bill heard it and said he loved it. He also said that I was introducing it to a whole new generation that never heard the original and that has proven the case."

But Hunley has also shown that there is always an audience for pure, honest singing with heart, depth and conviction. The entire disc has many other triumphant numbers, particularly the spectacular version of "Amazing Grace" that wraps the 14-song session and spotlights Hunley in a different, but certainly related, idiom. Indeed, his sound has always reflected a seamless merger of country, soul and gospel.

Hunley got his start singing gospel as a child at his family's church in Knoxville. His boyhood idols were Ray Charles and Chet Atkins, and his earliest gigs came at such places as the Eagles club in Knoxville during the mid-'60s. But it took more than a decade of what Hunley called "riding buses and playing tiny club gigs" before he scored his first major success in Nashville.

While his initial success came with Warner Bros. in the late '70s, it was during the '80s that Hunley became a major figure. His smooth, piercing and mighty voice was featured on more than 20 top 10 hits, most notably the single "What Am I Going To Do About You." He also sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the 1982 heavyweight championship fight between John Tate and Gerry Coetzee in Pretoria, South Africa. But Hunley's career increasingly was affected by label shifts and executive changes, to the point where he finally decided he'd had enough.

"It was really getting to be the case where you would have guys in suits making decisions about music, and I just decided that wasn't the way I wanted to work," Hunley said. "I've always been concerned strictly about the music and wanted to work with people who felt the same way that I did. But it became more and more that you were being viewed as a commodity, and there were all these comments about image and sound and look. And that's when I thought it was time to get out."

However, Hunley didn't stop singing or performing and maintained an active schedule, something that is evident by the consistent excellence of his singing.

Now Hunley's embarked on a heavy promotional schedule for Sweet Memories, happy and confident that he not only has a first-rate new release but that there are still fans anxious to hear his music.

"You never take anything for granted, and it is very gratifying to know that many people still remember my past work and that others are enjoying the new music," Hunley said.

By Larry Holden

CATCHING UP: RETURN ENGAGEMENT

A disillusioned Con Hunley closed the door on Nashville - until the music business came knocking again.

After hits like "What's New With You" and "Oh Girl," the soulful sounding Con Hunley left Nashville behind in the late '80s when his career hit a rocky road. Bitter, he entered a tailspin that kept him from recording for more than a decade. Now he's back with a new album, a hot new single and a new lease on what he loves doing.

But getting to where he is today had its twists.

"While playing Knoxville clubs, I was invited to play in a celebrity golf tournament in Nashville," recalls Con of a fateful incident back in the late '70s. After the tournament, he was asked to participate in a "guitar pull," an informal gathering of singers. "And within days," he says, "I had offers from five major labels!"

He signed with one of them, Warner Bros., spent five years there and then switched to MCA. Five songs into recording a new album, the label got new management and Con got the ax.

Con hopped onboard another label, and one of his first singles, "What Am I Gonna Do About You," was flying up the charts in 1985 when the powers that be changed at the top again, and once more he was one of the casualties. His single sank like a rock.

"I got to thinking a country music career wasn't meant for me," confesses Con. "I was filled with self doubt - maybe I wasn't good enough, maybe I didn't deserve success. So I left Nashville and went home. Soon, with no new songs on the radio, gigs dwindled."

Then in 1996 Con was a surprise guest performer at the induction of his former producer, Norro Wilson, into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. After Con sang, a lot of industry folks came up, encouraging him to get back in the game.

"It was sweet moment for me," reveals Con. "My broken spirit was lifted up, and I realized how much I missed music and how much it meant to me."

Eventually, he and Norro went into the studio, and the result is Con's just-released single, "Still" - his endearing take on Bill Anderson's No. 1 smash - and a new CD called Sweet Memories.

"The title song came about when I lost my mother while I was recording the album," he explains. "Mom loved 'Sweet Memories,' that old Mickey Newberry song, so I put it and 'Amazing Grace' on the album in her honor."

Today, Con is a man at peace with himself. "I hold no bitterness or resentment," he declares. "All I care about is making the most out of doing the music I love.

"It's a love unlike any other love."

- Larry Holden

TEDDY ALLEN: A Con artist who's no con artist
September 28, 2004

There aren't any country music stars who play the piano and sing anymore.

This is very troubling.

Charlie Rich. Jerry Lee Lewis. Mickey Gilley. Gary Stewart. Ronnie Milsap. Even Ray Stevens.

Then Ray Charles dies? That hurt me.

In the 1970s and 1980s you couldn't turn a radio dial far without hearing one of them. I thought this a good thing. Now they're harder to find than a good haircut.

So imagine my glee a few days ago when I heard Con Hunley talking to a Ruston deejay on KXKZ, the station that nursed me through my college years, all seven of them, at Louisiana Tech. Almost wrecked the truck, thinking I was in a time warp and all.

Instead, it was blessed reality. Con Hunley was telling the radio man he was back. And next thing I know he was singing a re-make and re-do of Whisperin' Bill Anderson's Still.

Still, though you broke my heart/Still, though we're far apart/I love you still.

Oh my. I had to park. I did.

Some perspective here. Imagine you are a Cowboys fan and find out that Tony Dorsett can still run and is un-retiring. Imagine steak suppers are $5.95 again.

For goodness sakes, imagine Elvis really is alive. And in the studio.

Chew on that for a minute and you can begin to appreciate the tip of the iceberg that were my feelings at that very tender moment.

Con Hunley played a bluesy piano and sang from way down deep in there someplace. His music was the needle and thread for more broken hearts than you could shake a promise ring at.

Let me try to explain it this way. On a bleak night that concluded an otherwise happy blue-skied day in the summer of 1980, when Jaybo found out his girlfriend had been being other people's girlfriend too, I handed him the keys to my car and three Con Hunley cassettes and told him I'd see him again when I saw him again. I didn't know what else to do.

He took the stuff. He appreciated it. And he re-surfaced a couple of days later, a little thinner, a little slumped, but a little wiser too, a little encouraged that the deal might scab over, somehow, and that shoot, love was just a tough deal sometimes.

Con knows. Punted around by a couple of record labels despite 20 hits, he quit in the '80s, went back to Knoxville, Tenn., and went into the dry cleaning business with his brother.

The good news? He's sold his share of the business since launching his comeback but gets a family discount on laundered shirts. Still.

See? It all works out.

I ordered the new CD -- it's lush -- off www/conhunley.com. A few days later I got an e-mail of apology: the company had charged me twice for the CD but had credited my card.

They shouldn't have bothered. I would have gladly paid double.

Excerpt from Article "Distilling a 'Whiskey' Hit"
September 4, 2004

By Jim Bessman

". . . . Anderson's latest smash comes just as his country chart-topping signature song, "Still," which crossed over to No. 8 on the pop charts in 1963, has been remade by comeback-seeking Con Hunley.

"He fooled around with it and took recitation out and wrote a singing part and was scared to death I wouldn't like it," Anderson says. "He sang it for me over breakfast and said, 'If you don't care, I'll record it.' I said, 'If I don't care? I'll drive you to the studio!"

Reuters/Billboard

Con Hunley - Sweet Memories

By. Christine Bohorfoush - AngryCountry.com Staff Writer

Con Hunley: New Album, After An Absence From Country Music

New fans to country music may not be familiar with the name Con Hunley, the soulful singer who was born and raised in Fountain City in the Smokey Mountain foothills of East Tennessee. One of six children, Con had music in his life from birth. His first entrance into the music world was singing gospel songs at church with his family. Con's parents bought him a used "Stella" guitar for Christmas when he was nine years old. He was overjoyed. His parents taught him basic chords (G, C, D, A) and some simple songs. Con idolized Chet Atkins and taught himself to play thumb-style guitar while still a youth. When his parents bought a piano for his sister, Beth, Con taught himself to play by ear and learned Ray Charles' famous hit, "What'd I Say." That was the beginning of a lifelong love affair. Con credits Ray Charles with having the greatest influence on his style and his music career. "That record was like a monster that just grabbed me up," Con says, "and it kept alive my motivation to play."

In 1975 Con went to Nashville after catching the ear of Sam Kirkpatrick who happened to be at the Corner Lounge in Knoxville one Thursday night where Con was performing. Kirkpatrick chartered Prairie Dust Records and Con, with the help of guitarist Larry Morton, who was band leader for Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass, cut five sides: "Misery Loves Company," "Pick Up The Pieces," "I'll always Remember That Song," "Deep In The Arms of Texas," and "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do." "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" received national attention. Soon after, Con, an avid golfer, was at the Acuff-Rose Publishing Company Golf Tournament in Nashville with Bobby Denton of WIVK Radio. After the first day of the tournament the golfer/musicians, made up of the biggest names in country music, had a "guitar pullin'." Bobby Denton asked Con to sing. He sang two songs after a lot of persuasion, but was totally in awe of everyone in the room. A few days after the tournament, his phone started ringing. Major labels wanted to meet him. After the dust settled, Con Hunley signed with Warner Brothers Records in 1977 and cut his first of five Warner albums, Cry, Cry Darling.

In 1982 Con recorded his biggest hit, "Oh Girl." During that time he was touring with various artists including George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Alabama, The Gatlin Brothers, The Oak Ridge Boys and others. In 1984 Con went with Capital Records. One of his recordings for them, "What Am I Going To Do About You," was a hit and one of twenty of his songs that made the top ten on the charts. It stayed on the charts for fifty-eight consecutive weeks. It was during these years that Con was nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year and Newcomer of the Year by ACM and CMA. In 1982 Hunley sang the National Anthem before the Heavyweight Championship between Big John Tate and Gerry Coetzee in Pretoria, South Africa. In 1986 Con performed with the seventy piece Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and his five piece band, a Knoxville first. He played at the White House in 1996 and did an annual New Year's Eve show in the Smokies for many years.

His latest project is a marriage of the old and new. Con and Norro Wilson, his first producer at Warner Records, kept in touch and began talking about another project a few years ago. "We decided to do a new album, Sweet Memories," and enlisted the top musicians in Nashville," Con says. In 1999 Con's mother, Priscilla Clodell Hunley, passed away. It was a year later before Con got back to the album. He had already recorded eight cuts and added six more. Sweet Memories is completed now and is dedicated to Con's mother. She is the reason that the final cut on the album is "Amazing Grace." She loved the song and she loved to hear her son sing it just like in the days of his childhood.

When Con Hunley was brought to the attention of AngryCountry, we were so impressed by this album that we knew we wanted to interview Con and speak with him regarding his feelings on the album, Mr. Hunley kindly agreed:

Con: Hey, Michael!

Michael: Hey, Con...how are you doing?

Con: I'm doing fine... how are you, Sir?

Michael: Pretty good...

Con: Great!

Michael: Man, your XM Radio Show last week was just awesome...

Con: Oh, thank you!

Michael: (laughing) We timed a road trip last week to Nashville so that we'd make sure that we'd be on the road during that hour that you were on XM and we could hear you perform. [Con did a one hour live concert on XM Radio from their studios in Washington, D.C. where he discussed and played many of his past hits, as well as new music from his current album.]

Con: Really? That's kind of neat... I mean, I had not done anything like that in quite a long time. I was real happy the way it turned out; of course, what a great facility it was. I enjoyed the heck out of it!

Michael: It was just amazing... for just you, a guitar player, and an empty room.

Con: Yeah!

Michael: Well, I just have a few quick questions for you...

Con: Okay, that's great... I appreciate you taking the time for me.

Michael: No problem at all... for our younger readers who may not be familiar with your work, could you tell us a little about yourself and your music?

Con: Well, I was with Warner Brothers early on... for five years actually and then I ended up signing with MCA and got about five songs deep into an album there and had some changes in leadership at MCA. I wound up going to Capital and got about five deep into an album there and they also had a change in leadership (laughing) I was pretty active during that time, from say 1977 to 1987 to 1990. Things were not happening the way that I hoped it would be happening, so I kind of got away from making country music for awhile. So, I have done a little thing for Norro Wilson, my friend and producer, and we worked on this new album, Sweet Memories. I came to town, as he was being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. They had asked me to perform one of the songs that he had written called "The Most Beautiful Girl" and surprise him. I did and I kind of reacquainted myself with a lot of the folks in the business; and Norro and I got to talking and the next thing you know, we are in the studio recording again and this album, Sweet Memories, is the result of that.

Michael: What are some of the reasons that led you to decide that now is the right time to go back in to country music?

Con: Well, it just felt good... and I truly missed it, Michael. Having been away from it, it is my first love. I mean, I just absolutely love it! I kind of got a little bitter, when I left Nashville... you know, I kind of got away from it for a while. The longer that I was away from it, the more I realized how much I missed it. There is a lot of things going on right now, as far as music is concerned... there is room for a whole lot of different kinds of music. I felt that now was the right time for me to come back with what they call "my style." What it is, is that I love country songs, but they just come out a little different, ya know? We have been having a lot of luck; I have had a lot of people who are glad to see that I am back and recording. I've been really getting a lot of great reviews on the album, as well as the single. Everything is positive and I am just so happy to be back and doing what I love.

Michael: Well, to we at AngryCountry your style is pure country... and there is not enough of it going around right now.

Con: Well, I appreciate that... you know, I do love country music! There is nothing better than a good country lyric. I mean, who has not lived a country lyric? I am just so appreciative of the chance to be back and having fun with it and enjoying it and really getting great response to everything.

Michael: Your current single, "Still", was written by Bill Anderson... and as you explained on the XM Radio feature, you went to Bill for his approval of your rendition of the song. What was that experience like for you?

Con: It was scary... I mean, it was really scary! (laughing) You know, Bill is a gentlemen, but when you start messing with a songwriter's song and begin changing some words around - the song around - you are kind of treading on thin ice. When I went to him and began to pitch the idea to him, I told him that I wanted his blessing before I recorded the song. Had he not liked it, I would not have recorded it that way. I had the opportunity to sit down and play it for him at his house, and he loved it. From the minute that I started the song, he absolutely loved it. He told me, "Con, you've taken my song and made it your song. I absolutely love it and I could not be happier with the way that you have arranged it. You have my blessing!" And so, we went into the studio and cut it and it turned out well; and like I said, we are getting a great response to it.

Michael: What are some of your other favorite songs on the album?

Con: I love "Sweet Memories," which is the title cut written by Mickey Newbury... in fact during the recording of this particular project, I lost my mother. One of her favorite songs is "Sweet Memories" and another, of course, was "Amazing Grace;" so I dedicated this entire album to her memory and the last two cuts on the album to her. These two are favorites of mine... but, I like "Since I Fell For You" and "No Relief In Sight"... I like everything that we recorded. And of course, "Still" stands out because just being able to take a song and do something completely different with it... I enjoy performing it and sort of creating it. Sort of becoming a stepfather to that song, so to speak, in the studio.

Michael: What would you like listeners to take away from this album? Or what is the message in the music that you choose?

Con: I hope that when they listen to it they are touched... I hope that they can relate to what I have to say in my songs and I hope that they can relate to the lyrics. But more importantly, I hope that they are touched by the way that I perform it and that it's believable. I like to do songs that speak to me and songs that touch me; they are the songs that I like to do. Hopefully, I can do them in a way that speaks to and touches other people.

Michael: We have a signature question that we like to ask every artist... what is the one thing that your fans would be most surprised to know about you?

Con: Hmmm, that's a good one... I suppose that I have become an avid bike rider. I'm sort of into the exercise thing and watching my diet.

Michael: What is it about bike riding that you have come to enjoy?

Con: I just love to be able to get out... you're at a speed where you can really appreciate the beauty of your surroundings. There are a couple of trails where I ride where the views are absolutely magical. It's so inspirational and you feel like you can reach out and touch the creator.

Michael: I know that your time is valuable, so I will let you go... I appreciate your taking time out of your day for AngryCountry.

Con: Well, Michael, I appreciate your taking the time for me.

******************************************************************************************

Sweet Memories

Track One: "Over Getting Over You"

Pretty heartache ballad about seeing an old flame and realizing that buried feelings remain very close to the surface.

Track Two: "A Chance"

Beautiful ballad that speaks to the loss of a love and knowing that you can never get that love back. My favorite track on this album due to its very soulful stylings.

Track Three: "She Ain't You"

A touch of the Blues Brothers style is brought to this track that looks at having many lovers in one's life; and yet, only that one special person captures your heart.

Track Four: "Since I Fell For You"

I have always loved this song, but Con gives it a special touch that really makes you feel the love that one has for another.

Track Five: "She Thinks I Still Care"

Wonderful cut that addresses how one may deny their feelings, but deep down, the love that you feel for someone special cannot really be denied.

Track Six: "That's All That Matters To Me"

A track that speaks to knowing that you may share the one you love with others, but all is right when that love is in your arms.

Track Seven: "Don't Touch Me"

Asking that someone you adore and cannot really have not tempt you with their love... because just their simple touch will make you desire that person too much.

Track Eight: "Something You Got"

Almost a Sam and Dave soul touch is put on this track about the attraction one feels for a special person.

Track Nine: "Still"

What can be better than a great track written by Opry legend Bill Anderson? When Con Hunley puts his soulful voice and touch on it... terrific!

Track Ten: "If You Ever Have Forever In Mind"

Pretty familiar ballad about longing for a person to settle down and love only you.

Track Eleven: "Only Time Will Tell"

Finding that a lot of time is needed to get over a lost love. I think everyone has felt those feelings and this song sums up all those feelings.

Track Twelve: "No Relief In Sight"

Trying everything possible to get passed a lost love ... only to find that no matter what you attempt, the pain remains.

Track Thirteen: "Dedication To Mother"

Very touching and heartfelt explanation of Con's feelings over the loss of his own mother and why these songs meant so much to her.

Track Fourteen: "Sweet Memories"

Absolutely beautiful ballad and vocal that Con brings to this song about the memories that linger even after a loved one has passed on.

Track Fifteen: "Amazing Grace"

This old familiar standard, once again, comes alive due to the unique and very soulful touch that Con brings to the song.

Totally Awesome! This is an album that receives my highest praise. I have been searching for a country artist who has the soul of my all-time favorite Motown artist, Smokey Robinson. Con Hunley is that country artist. Not only does he have the soulful vocals, but he also knows just what kind of touch to bring to a particular song. Sweet Memories is exactly the kind of album that has been missing in Nashville and on the country radio airwaves... good old "real" country music with lyrics that reach out and wrap around your gut. I simply cannot say how much I appreciate Con Hunley and this album, and I want to welcome him back to country music. If there was ever an album and a country artist who exemplifies what I preach on the pages of AngryCountry about "keeping the music grounded in traditional country lyrics, " Sweet Memories and Con Hunley are a shining example. You will want this album and will agree that this is country music at its best.

NOTE: AngryCountry wishes to express our sincere thanks to Con Hunley for the time that he took to interview with us. For more information on Con Hunley, please visit his website at: www.conhunley.com

Sweet Memories

From its opening notes, Con's first new album in 22 years calls to mind his heyday in the late 1970s and early '80s without ever quite sounding dated. It's been so long since we've heard this silky-smooth, saxophone-spiked sound - more countrified soul than soulful country - that it sounds positively hip in 2004.

By Don Rhodes

Con Hunley's latest album showcases his rich, bluesy voice. The Internet has given him the ability to make his music, information and show dates available to fans.
Special

Few recording artists get a second chance at popularity, but Con Hunley seems to be doing fine with his first single in 18 years.

The single, Still, is a remake of Bill Anderson's self-composed 1963 hit and is off Mr. Hunley's new CD, Sweet Memories, on the independent IMMI Records label. Both the single and album have drawn critical praise.

"My heart has been warmed by the fact that people haven't forgotten who I am, and they still love my music," said the 59-year-old Mr. Hunley in a call July 26, the morning of the single's release.

His rich, bluesy voice, long regarded as one of country music's best, shines throughout his new CD. It's available at retail outlets and through Mr. Hunley's Web site, www.conhunley.com.

Mr. Hunley was one of country music's most popular stars in the early '70s through late '80s with his stage shows, TV appearances and Top 20 singles such as What's New With You, She's Steppin' Out, You Lay a Whole Lot of Love on Me, and his versions of Oh Girl and What Am I Going to Do Without You.

His last Capitol single, Quittin' Time, is still played by radio station announcers at 5 p.m. Fridays to launch weekend partying.

Mr. Hunley was a senior at Central High School in Fountain City, Tenn., a suburb of Knoxville, when Mr. Anderson hit high on both the country and rock music charts with Still, and it stayed in Mr. Hunley's mind.

"When I was recording this CD, I was driving back and forth between Knoxville (where he lives) and Nashville," Mr. Hunley said. "One day I cut off the radio, and, for some reason began singing Still out of the blue in the car at the top of my voice.

"I thought, 'That sounds pretty good.' I later got on a piano and began working it out and singing the recitation part instead of speaking it like Bill did on his recording."

The chorus of the song goes: "Still, though we're far apart. Still, though you've broke my heart. I love you still. Still, after all this time. Still, you're still on my mind. I love you still."

In recent years, Mr. Hunley and his brother Steve have operated Superior Cleaners, a laundry business in Knoxville.

In the mid-'80s when Mr. Hunley was dropped by Capitol, the major record companies had almost total control over what the public heard and who became a star.

He said that no longer is true, with the proliferation of Web sites, satellite radio, cable television networks and strong independent labels with great distribution.

"I'll be honest with you," he said. "It broke my heart the way I was treated. I had given my life to the music business and had some success. But I wasn't going to beat my head against the wall when I had no control over what was happening.

"Now it looks like I may have caught some of these major labels with their heads in the sand," he said with a sound of glee in his voice. "Today, there is the ability in putting anything on the Internet. Fans now can go directly to your Web site and find out about your music and your show dates. It's been phenomenal."

Don Rhodes has been writing about country music for 33 years. He can be reached at (706) 823-3214 or don.rhodes@morris.com.

CON HUNLEY
Still
Producer(s): Con Hunley, Norro Wilson
Writer(s): B. Anderson
Publisher(s): Johnny Bienstock Music (BMI)
Genre: COUNTRY
Label/Catalog Number: IMMI Records 80862 42825 (CD promo) 
Source: Billboard Magazine
Originally Reviewed: June 26, 2004

During the '70s and '80s, Hunley charted 25 singles on the Billboard country charts, including such memorable songs as "What's New With You" and "No Relief in Sight." He returns with a new full-length on Knoxville, Tenn.-based IMMI Records. The set features Hunley's soulful take on a solid collection of country songs. For the lead single, he reinvents Whisperin' Bill Anderson's gem "Still." Hunley puts a whole new spin on this evergreen hit, transforming Anderson's plaintive country ballad into a smoky, sultry number, oozing with Hunley's trademark blue-eyed soul. The subtle, aching steel guitar is an effective backdrop for Hunley's vocals. While certainly a long shot at country radio, it sure would be great to see programmers take a chance on this. In the process, listeners would get the opportunity to rediscover this incredible stylist working his magic on one of country's greatest songs.—DEP

The soldiers and families of the Tennessee National Guard's 278th Armored Calvary Regiment, which is headquartered in Knoxville, were treated to a private appreciation concert on June 5th. The Guard unit is being mobilized for active duty beginning June 7th, and several thousand soldiers from Knox and surrounding counties will be deployed.

The concert, which was sponsored and organized by WIVK-FM radio, was held in one of the aircraft hangers of the Tennessee Air National Guard's 134th Air Refueling Wing. Patriotic WIVK radio personality Gunner, who spent a month in Iraq earlier this year covering local troops serving with the 489th Civil Affairs Battalion, emceed the event. Buddy's Bar-B-Q provided pork sandwiches, hot dogs, chili and drinks for the crowd.

Country music star Con Hunley performed an upbeat set, closing with "America the Beautiful," and the crowd of over 2000 soldiers and families rose to their feet and sang along. Other country artists, including Carly Goodwin, Wade Hayes, and WIVK's own Colleen Addair, performed for the appreciative crowd of military families.

Hunley's record label, IMMI Records, was a co-sponsor of the concert. Singer/songwriter Madonna Tassi, who is also on IMMI Records, donated a copy of her patriotic Tennessee CD, "Red, White, Blue and Orange," which features an upbeat version of "Rocky Top" to each of the soldiers.

CON HUNLEY/Sweet Memories

It became better known as the Corner Lounge after Ernie stopped serving breakfast, concentrating her efforts on the evening crowd. Beginning in 1969, she had reason to. A handsome young fellow from Fountain City, fresh out of the service, showed up at the Corner and wanted to play piano. Ernie remembers her response: "If he can play, he can play," she said. "I don't want to hear no damn banging."

For the next decade, Con Hunley was an even bigger draw than Ernie's chili. Women came in hopes of meeting Con; men came in hopes of meeting women. On Thursday nights, especially, the small place was packed. "It just grew and grew till I'd have to open the door and let somebody out and somebody in."

She put out a sign over Central, shaped like the lid of a grand piano: Home of Con Hunley. He played there even for a couple years after he signed with Warner Brothers and his songs began climbing the country charts.