Biography
Kenny O'Dell first gained widespread recognition through his composition of the country classic "Behind Closed Doors." As a performer he also achieved moderate pop success under his own name. Born Kenny Gist, Jr. in Antlers, Oklahoma, in 1946 and raised in Santa Maria, California, he scored a regional hit in 1963 titled "Old Time Love." Following a period with the group Guys & Dolls, he secured a solo contract in 1967 with the Vegas imprint of White Whale and issued the album Beautiful People; its title track reached the Top 40 until a competing rendition by Bobby Vee blunted its progress. The next release, "Springfield Plane," entered the Hot 100, and in 1968 his song "Next Plane to London" reached the Rose Garden through his cousin Pat Pipolo, who served as co-producer for the folk-rock band. That single climbed to the Top 20, after which O'Dell supplied the group’s follow-up, "If My World Falls Through." Once Vegas ceased operations, he remained with White Whale long enough to release several overlooked singles such as "No Obligations" and "Groovy Relationship." As the label neared closure, he relocated to Nashville in 1970 to run House of Gold, the publishing company owned by Bobby Goldsboro. A series of modest country successes followed, among them Sandy Posey’s "Why Don't We Go Somewhere and Love?," before "I Take It on Home" became a Top Ten country hit for Charlie Rich in 1972. The next year Rich recorded "Behind Closed Doors," which dominated the country charts across a 40-week span, crossed into the pop Top 20, and earned the Grammy for Best Country Song. The resulting attention brought O'Dell a Capricorn recording contract that yielded the 1975 Top 40 single "My Honky Tonk Ways" and the 1978 Top Ten entry "Let's Shake Hands and Come Out Lovin'." Also in 1975 he teamed with Larry Henley to write Tanya Tucker’s number-one single "Lizzie and the Rain Man." In 1986 he received another Grammy nomination for the Judds’ hit "Mama He's Crazy." Roughly ten years afterward he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. O'Dell passed away in March 2018 at the age of 73.
Albums