Kenny O'Dell

Kenny O'Dell (born Kenneth Gist Jr., 1946, Oklahoma) is an American country music singer and songwriter.Early in his career he worked with guitar legand,Duane Eddy,and his own band,Guys and Dolls. He is best known for writing the country hit "Behind Closed Doors", which Charlie Rich recorded, and "Mama He's Crazy", for The Judds. "Behind Closed Doors" won a Grammy Award in 1973 for Best Country & Western Recording.

Rich also scored a Top 10 hit in 1972 with the O'Dell penned song "I Take It on Home". O'Dell was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. His only Billboard Hot 100 chart appearance came in 1967, when "Beautiful People" climbed to number 38, and 1968 the local hit "Springfield Plane"

When O'Dell first moved to Nashville, he ran Bobby Goldsboro's publishing company. He's had other hit covers including "Trouble in Paradise" by Loretta Lynn in 1974.

Awards

1973--GrammyBest Country Song"Behind Closed Doors"

1973--CMASong of the Year"Behind Closed Doors"

1973--CMASingle of the Year"Behind Closed Doors"

1973--ACMSong of the Year"Behind Closed Doors"

1973--ACMSingle of the Year"Behind Closed Doors"

1984--Nashville Songwriters Association InternationalSongwriter of the Year

1984--NSAISong of the Year"Mama He's Crazy"

1985--BMICountry Song of the Year"Mama He's Crazy"

External links

* [http://www.nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com/fame/odell.html Nashville Songwriters profile]