James Paul O'Hara (August 8, 1950 – January 7, 2021) was an American

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

artist. Between 1986 and 1990, he and

Kieran Kane Kieran Kane (born October 7, 1949) is an American country music artist, as well as the owner of Dead Reckoning Records, an independent record label. Between 1986 and 1990, he and Jamie O'Hara comprised The O'Kanes, a duo which charted seven ...

comprised

The O'Kanes The O'Kanes were an American country music duo composed of Jamie O'Hara and Kieran Kane, both vocalists and guitarists. Active between 1986 and 1990, the duo recorded three albums for Columbia Records and charted seven singles on the ''Billboard ...

, a duo that charted seven singles on the ''

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

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

charts, including the No. 1 single "

Can't Stop My Heart from Loving You "Can't Stop My Heart from Loving You" is a song written and recorded by American country music duo The O'Kanes. It was released in January 1987 as the second single from the album ''The O'Kanes The O'Kanes were an American country music duo com ...

". After the O'Kanes disbanded in 1990, both O'Hara and Kane recorded solo albums of their own. In addition, O'Hara continued writing songs for other country music artists, including

The Judds The Judds were an American country music duo composed of lead vocalist-guitarist Wynonna Judd and her mother Naomi Judd on backup vocals. The duo signed to RCA Records in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991. The Judds wer ...

' 1986 hit " Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)" which earned him a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

Biography

O'Hara was born in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

, where he attended Ottawa Hills High School (Ohio) and played Varsity Football. He had initially planned to pursue a career in

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

, but after a career-ending knee injury, O'Hara shifted his focus to singing and songwriting. By 1975, he had moved to

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

, where he was signed to a publishing contract. Among the songs that he composed throughout the 1980s were " Older Women" and " Wandering Eyes" a number one and number two single, both for

Ronnie McDowell Ronald Dean McDowell Sr. (born March 25, 1950) is an American country music artist. McDowell charted more than 30 top-40 hits on the ''Billboard'' country music charts. Two of his singles – " Older Women" and " You're Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputati ...

The O'Kanes

, another songwriter who worked for the same publishing company, first collaborated with O'Hara on a song titled "Bluegrass Blues", eventually recorded by

. Afterwards, the two began writing more songs together; by 1986, they decided to form a duo known as

. The same year, O'Hara wrote " Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Ol' Days)", which was also recorded by The Judds; in addition to becoming a number one single on the country music charts, this song earned him a Grammy Award for Best Country Song. Signed to Columbia Nashville in 1986, The O'Kanes recorded three studio albums for the label, in addition to charting seven singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles charts. Their third album failed to produce any singles and by 1990, the duo parted ways, with both members assuming solo careers.

Return to solo career

O'Hara recorded a solo album for RCA Nashville in 1994. His only album for the label, ''Rise Above It'', was issued that year, followed by a second album titled ''Beautiful Obsession'' seven years later. In addition, O'Hara continued to write songs for other artists, including cuts by

Shelby Lynne Shelby Lynne (born Shelby Lynn Moorer, October 22, 1968) is an American singer and songwriter and the older sister of singer-songwriter Allison Moorer. The success of her pop rock album '' I Am Shelby Lynne'' (1999) led to her winning the Grammy A ...

, Gary Allan, and

Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American country singer. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single "She's in Love with the Boy", which became a number one hit on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Country Songs ...

Death

O'Hara died under the care of Alive Hospice on January 7, 2021, after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Music videos

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ohara, Jamie 1950 births 2021 deaths American country singer-songwriters Grammy Award winners Deaths from cancer in Tennessee Musicians from Toledo, Ohio Singer-songwriters from Ohio The O'Kanes members RCA Records Nashville artists Country musicians from Ohio