Country songwriter and independent artist Ramsey Kearney has died. Kearney died on Saturday (March 14) at the age of 86, Music Row reports.

Born in 1933, the famed songwriter began his career in the late 1940s and early 1950s with his own radio show in Jackson, Tenn. Kearney took a break from music to serve in the U.S. Army for two years from 1953-1955. He would go on to work as a staff writer for Cedarwood Publishing in Nashville.

Throughout the course of his songwriting career, Kearney wrote songs that were recorded by many of Nashville's most established acts including Sue Thompson, Eddy Arnold and Moe Bandy. Kearney also worked with Mel Tillis on the song "Emotions," a song they co-wrote for Brenda Lee that became the title track for her album in 1961.

Kearney appeared on the charts twice in the 1980s as an independent recording artist with "King of Oak Street," a song that had previously been cut by Kenny Rogers in 1978, and "One Time Thing."

The singer-songwriter released a string of country albums over the course of his career, and he also recorded a Christmas album and explored the genres of rockabilly and blues.

There was a ceremony to honor the late singer-songwriter on Thursday (March 19) at Hendersonville Funeral Home in Hendersonville, Tenn. Kearney was buried at Hendersonville Memorial Gardens. Kearney's funeral service was not open to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Music Row.

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