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B.J.
Thomas
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b. Billy Joe Thomas, 7 August
1942, Hugo, Oklahoma, USA.
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B.J. Thomas maintained a sturdy
career in the USA in both the pop and country fields from
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the mid-60s into the late 80s.
After getting experience by singing in church during his youth,
Thomas
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joined the Triumphs in Houston,
Texas, who released a number of unsuccessful singles on small
labels.
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Collaborating with songwriter Mark
Charron, a member of the Triumphs, the group recorded an original
song,
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'Billy And Sue', and released it
on the Bragg label without national success (it was re-released on Warner
Brothers
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Records in 1964 but again failed
to take off). Thomas then recorded a cover version of Hank
Williams'
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'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry' for
Texas producer Huey P. Meaux. It was released on Scepter
Records,
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a New York company and vaulted to
number 8 on the national singles chart in the USA. Thomas
enjoyed
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further Top 40 hits with 'Mama'
(also recorded successfully by Dave Berry ), 'Billy And Sue' and 'The Eyes
Of
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A Woman'. In 1968, Thomas returned
to the US Top 10 with the soft-rock 'Hooked On A Feeling', written
by
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Mark James, who also penned
'Suspicious Minds' and 'Always On My Mind' for Elvis Presley. In late
1969,
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Thomas reached number 1 in the USA
with 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head', a song by Burt Bacharach
and
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Hal David that was featured in the
hit film Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid. 1970 ended with
another
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Top 10 success, 'I Just Can't Help
Believing', written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Thomas's
last
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significant single for Scepter was
1972's 'Rock And Roll Lullaby', another Mann and Weil composition,
which
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reached number 15 and featured
Duane Eddy on guitar and the Blossoms on backing vocals. After that,
the
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company folded, and it was not
until 1975, now signed to ABC Records (after a brief, unproductive
stint
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at Paramount), that Thomas enjoyed
another hit. '(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done
Somebody
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Wrong Song' provided his second
number 1 and also topped the country charts. That record provided a
second
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career for Thomas as a country
star. Although he switched record company affiliations frequently, moving
from
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ABC to MCA in 1978, to Cleveland
International in 1983, and to Columbia Records in 1985, Thomas
maintained
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his status in that field until the
late 80s. Featuring gospel material in his act as well as straight country, he
drew a
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new audience and continued to sell
records. Thomas enjoyed a particularly strong string of country singles
in
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1983-84, beginning with two number
1 records, 'Whatever Happened To Old Fashioned Love' and
'New
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Looks From An Old Lover'. 'Two Car
Garage' and 'The Whole World's In Love When You're Lonely'
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also made the Top 10, while a duet
with Ray Charles, 'Rock And Roll Shoes', reached number 15.
Simultaneous
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with his country career, Thomas
recorded a number of gospel-inspired albums for the Myrrh
label.
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He was firmly seen as a Christian
artist in the 90s.
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1966 Photograph of B.J. Thomas by
John Robert Rowlands.
