BJ Thomas

BJ Thomas (2012)

Billy Joe "BJ" Thomas (* 7. August 1942 in Hugo , Oklahoma ; † 29. May 2021 in Arlington , Texas ) was an American pop and country - singer . In the 1960s and 1970s he had regular chart successes in the USA, Raindrops Keep Fallin 'on My Head became a world hit, and in early 1970 it was number one in the USA . Another number one success in the US came in 1975 with (Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song. For his later, Christian recordings, he was awarded a Grammy five times .

life and work

Thomas grew up in the US state of Texas , first in the Houston area and later in Rosenberg . There he sang in the church choir and later in the high school choir, which he even led. At the age of 15 he started in a band called The Triumphs with rock music and appearances in clubs and on local radio. They were quite successful in Texas and also got a record deal. With the self-written Billy and Sue they had their first regional hit. In 1965 they recorded the Hank Williams number I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry , a country number 1 from 1949 , as a quieter number for their rock album. The success of the song made Scepter Records aware of them and brought it to the attention of Scepter Records as a single US-wide out. As B. J. Thomas & the Triumphs they had their first top 10 hit in the United States.

After three more smaller hits, Thomas split from the Triumphs and had his first solo top 10 hit in 1968 with Hooked on a Feeling , which also sold over a million times. Three years later, Jonathan King made it a somewhat idiosyncratic version by incorporating the Indian chants ("Ooga chacka") from the song Running Bear by Johnny Preston . He had a minor hit with it in England, but it was the Swedish band Blue Swede that brought the ooga-chaka version to number 1 in the USA in 1974.

In 1969 B. J. Thomas got the offer to record the song Raindrops Keep Fallin 'on My Head for the film soundtrack of the western comedy Zwei Banditen (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) . The composition by Burt Bacharach and Hal David then became his biggest hit and has remained a classic to this day. In the US it was not just another million seller, it was also number 1 on the Billboard charts for four weeks . It was also his only international hit; he was also able to place himself in the charts in Great Britain and Germany. The song was named "Best Movie Song" at the 1970 Academy Awards . The song appears again and again in films today, for example in Forrest Gump , 3 Angels for Charlie - Full Power and Spider-Man 2 .

From 1970 to 1972, B. J. Thomas had numerous other hits in the USA, including six top 40 singles, the most famous of which was the number 9 hit I Just Can't Help Believing , which also ranked number 1 on the adult contemporary charts landed. Also an adult contemporary number one was the Rock and Roll Lullaby , for which he got support from the Blossoms, Dave Somerville from the Diamonds and the guitarist Duane Eddy .

When Scepter Records broke up in 1973, Thomas also made a one-off foray into the film business as a gunslinger in the US western Jory . Musically, however, he didn't get along at all with his move to Paramount. Two years passed without he was able to land another hit and it wasn't until 1975 when he switched to ABC Records that success returned. Always headed for country, Thomas hit number one on both the pop and country charts with (Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song . And for the third time, he received a gold record for a million copies sold for a single . The song won a Grammy Award in 1976 for best country song .

As a result, the southerner was to be found less and less in the pop charts and concentrated more and more on gospel music. In 1976 he released his album Home Where I Belong and from 1978 to 1982 he won a gospel Grammy five times in a row, four of them for best solo performance. The 1980s were again dominated by country music. In 1981 B. J. Thomas was accepted into the Grand Ole Opry . In 1983 he was able to place two titles at number 1 on the country charts: Whatever Happened to Old Fashioned Love and New Looks from an Old Lover .

At the end of the 1980s its success then waned. He also had alcohol and drug problems that he struggled with for a long time. He has continued to tour and release records regularly since the 1990s. He is said to have sold over 70 million records, four times he received gold . 14 songs made it to the top 40 of the pop charts and eleven to the top 40 of the country charts.

B. J. Thomas was married to his wife, the songwriter Gloria, for 52 years and had three daughters, two births and one adopted daughter. He lived in Arlington , Texas and died of lung cancer in May 2021 at the age of 78.

Discography

Albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)		Remarks
year	title	US	Country	Remarks
1969	On my way	US133 (12 weeks) US	-
1969	Greatest Hits, Volume 1	US90 (28 weeks) US	-	Best of album
1970	Raindrops Keep Fallin 'on My Head	US12th gold (41 weeks)US	-
	Everybody's out of town	US72 (20 weeks) US	-
	Most of all	US67 (24 weeks) US	-
1971	Greatest Hits, Volume 2	US92 (13 weeks) US	-	Best of album
1972	Billy Joe Thomas	US145 (9 weeks) US	-
1975	Reunion	US59 (14 weeks) US	Country2 (18 weeks) Country
1975	Help Me Make It (To My Rockin 'Chair)	-	Country26 (8 weeks) Country
1977	BJ Thomas	US114 (12 weeks) US	Country39 (6 weeks) Country
1983	New looks	US193 (3 weeks) US	Country13 (34 weeks) Country
1983	The Great American Dream	-	Country27 (19 weeks) Country
1984	Shining	-	Country40 (22 weeks) Country
2013	The Living Room Sessions	-	Country39 (4 weeks) Country

More albums

I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry (1966)
Tomorrow Never Comes (1966)
BJ Thomas Sings for Lovers and Losers (1967)
Young and in Love (1969)
Longhorns & Londonbridges (1974)
Help Me Make It (To My Rockin 'Chair) (1975)
Home Where I Belong (1976, Dove Award )
Everybody Loves a Rain Song (1978)
Happy Man (1979)
You Gave Me Love (When Nobody Gave Me a Prayer) (1979)
Amazing Grace (1981, Dove Award)
As We Know Him (1982)
Miracle (1982)
Peace in the Valley (1982)
Love Shines (1983)
Throwin 'Rocks at the Moon (1985)
All Is Calm, All Is Bright (1985)
Night Life (1986)
Midnight Minute (1989)
Back Against the Wall (1992)
Wind Beneath My Wings (1993)
Precious Memories (1995)
I Believe (1997)
Love to Burn (2007)
Once I Loved (2010)

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
year	Title album	DE	AT	UK	US	Country	Remarks
1966	I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry	-	-	-	US8 (13 weeks) US	-	Author / Original: Hank Williams (1949) First published: 1964; BJ Thomas with The Triumphs
	Mama I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry	-	-	-	US22 (8 weeks) US	-	Author: Mark Charron First published: 1964
	Billy and Sue The Very Best of BJ Thomas	-	-	-	US34 (11 weeks) US	-	Author: Mark Charron First published: 1964; BJ Thomas with The Triumphs
	Bring Back the Time I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry	-	-	-	US75 (4 weeks) US	-	Author: Mark Charron First published: 1965
	Tomorrow Never Comes Tomorrow Never Comes	-	-	-	US80 (5 weeks) US	-	Authors: Johnny Bond , Ernest Tubb First published: 1965 1945 a country hit for Ernest Tubb
1967	I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You) BJ Thomas Sings for Lovers and Losers	-	-	-	US94 (1 week) US	-	Author / Original: Hank Williams (1951) First published: 1965
1968	The Eyes of a New York Woman On My Way	-	-	-	US28 (14 weeks) US	-	Author: Mark James
1968	Hooked on a Feeling On My Way	-	-	-	US5 gold (16 weeks)US	-	Author: Mark James ranked 84th most played song of the 20th century in the US (according to BMI )
1969	It's Only Love Young and in Love	-	-	-	US45 (8 weeks) US	-	Authors: Mark James, Steve Tyrell
	Pass the Apple Eve Young and in Love	-	-	-	US97 (3 weeks) US	-	Authors: Mark James, Johnny Christopher
	Raindrops Keep Fallin 'on My Head Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head	DE40 (2 weeks) DE	AT11 (8 weeks) AT	UK38 (4 weeks) UK	US1 gold (22 weeks)US	-	Music: Burt Bacharach , Text: Hal David from the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Oscar (best film song)
1970	Everybody's Out of Town Everybody's Out of Town	-	-	-	US26 (9 weeks) US	-	Music: Burt Bacharach, text: Hal David
	I Just Can't Help Believing Everybody’s Out of Town	-	-	-	US9 (13 weeks) US	-	Music: Barry Mann , Text: Cynthia Weil
	Most of All Most of All	-	-	-	US38 (10 weeks) US	-	Authors: Buddy Buie, JR Cobb
1971	No love at all, most of all	-	-	-	US16 (11 weeks) US	-	Authors: Wayne Thompson, Johnny Christopher
	Mighty Clouds of Joy Greatest Hits Volume Two	-	-	-	US34 (10 weeks) US	-	Authors: Buddy Buie, Robert Nix
	Long Ago Tomorrow Greatest Hits Volume Two	-	-	-	US61 (7 weeks) US	-	Music: Burt Bacharach, text: Hal David
1972	Rock and Roll Lullaby Billy Joe Thomas	-	-	-	US15 (11 weeks) US	-	Authors: Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil Guitar: Duane Eddy , accompanist: Dave Sommerville , the Blossoms
	That's What Friends Are For Billy Joe Thomas	-	-	-	US74 (6 weeks) US	-	Author: Paul Williams (also accompanist)
	Happier Than the Morning Sun Billy Joe Thomas	-	-	-	US100 (2 weeks) US	-	Author: Stevie Wonder (also plays harmonica) Accompanying singer: Die Blossoms
1975	(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song Reunion	-	-	-	US1 gold (18 weeks)US	Country1 (16 weeks) Country	Authors: Larry Butler, Chips Moman Grammy ( Country Song )
1975	Help Me Make It (To My Rockin 'Chair) Help Me Make It (To My Rockin' Chair)	-	-	-	US64 (9 weeks) US	Country37 (10 weeks) Country	Author: Bobby Gene Emmons
1977	Home Where I Belong Home Where I Belong	-	-	-	-	Country98 (1 week) Country	Author: Pat Terry Grammy (Gospel)
	Don't Worry Baby B.J. Thomas	-	-	-	US17 (17 weeks) US	-	Authors: Brian Wilson , Roger Christian 1964 a hit for the Beach Boys
	Still the Lovin 'Is Fun B.J. Thomas	-	-	-	US77 (4 weeks) US	-	Author: Chris Christian
1978	Everybody Loves a Rain Song Everybody Loves a Rain Song	-	-	-	US43 (8 weeks) US	Country25 (13 weeks) Country	Author: Mark James, Chips Moman
1979	We Could Have Been the Closest of Friends -	-	-	-	-	Country86 (3 weeks) Country	Authors: Steve Pippin, Johnny Slate
1981	Some Love Songs Never Die Some Love Songs Never Die	-	-	-	-	Country27 (11 weeks) Country	Authors: Bob Morrison, Alice Keister, Johnny MacRae
1981	I Recall a Gypsy Woman Some Love Songs Never Die	-	-	-	-	Country22 (12 weeks) Country	Authors: Robert McDill, Allen Reynolds; Original: Don Williams (1973)
1983	Whatever Happened to Old-Fashioned Love New Looks	-	-	-	US93 (2 weeks) US	Country1 (21 weeks) Country	Author: Lewis Anderson
	New Looks from an Old Lover New Looks	-	-	-	-	Country1 (21 weeks) Country	Authors: Red Lane, Gloria Thomas, Lathan Hudson
	Two Car Garage The Great American Dream	-	-	-	-	Country3 (21 weeks) Country	Authors: JD Martin, Gary Harrison
1984	The Whole World's in Love When You're Lonely Shining	-	-	-	-	Country10 (19 weeks) Country	Authors: Dan Tyler, Fred Knobloch
1984	The Girl Most Likely To Shining	-	-	-	-	Country17 (19 weeks) Country	Authors: Steve Pippin, Wood Newton
1985	The Part of Me That Needs You Most Throwin 'Rocks at the Moon	-	-	-	-	Country61 (11 weeks) Country	Authors: Mike Chapman , Nicky Chinn 1980 hit for Jay Black
1986	America Is Throwin 'Rocks at the Moon	-	-	-	-	Country62 (7 weeks) Country	Authors: Hal David, Joe Raposo
1986	Night Life Night Life	-	-	-	-	Country59 (6 weeks) Country	Authors: Willie Nelson , Walt Breeland, Paul Buskirk 1963 a hit for Rusty Draper
2000	You Call That a Mountain You Call That a Mountain	-	-	-	-	Country66 (1 week) Country	Authors: Michael Gavin, Bucky Jones

hatched gray : no chart data available for this year

More singles

You'll Never Walk Alone (1966)
Plain Jane (1966)
Treasure of Love (1967)
Human (1967)
The Girl Can't Help It (1967)
Skip a Rope (1969)
Sweet Cherry Wine (1973)
Songs (1973)
Early Morning Hush (1973)
Play Something Sweet (1974)
Without a Doubt (1977)
I Want to Be More like Jesus (1978)
Sweet Young America (1978)
God Bless the Children (1979)
Happy Man (1979, Grammy )
What a Difference You've Made (1979)
He's Got It All in Control (1979)
From the Start (1979)
Jesus on My Mind (1980)
The Faith of a Little Child (1980)
Walkin 'on a Cloud (1980)
Nothin 'Could Be Better (1980)
Everything Always Works Out for the Best (1980)
Unclouded Day (1981)
Satan, You're a Liar (1982)
But Love Me (1982)
Pray for Me (1983)
Odessa Beggarman (1984)
As Long as We Got Each Other (with Dusty Springfield , 1988)
Don't Leave Love (Out There All Alone) (1989)
I Just Can't Help Believing (with Vince Gill , 2013)

Awards

Grammy Awards

1978 : Best Inspirational Performance for Home Where I Belong
1979 : Best Inspirational Performance for Happy Man
1980 : Best Inspirational Performance for You Gave Me Love (When Nobody Gave Me a Prayer)
1981 : Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary or Inspirational for The Lord's Prayer (with other musicians)
1982 : Best Inspirational Performance for Amazing Grace

GMA Dove Awards

1977: Album by a Secular Artist for Home Where I Belong
1982: Album by a Secular Artist for Amazing Grace

literature

Home Where I Belong , 1978, BJ Thomas and Jerry B. Jenkins, autobiography.
In Tune , 1983, BJ Thomas and Gloria Thomas, autobiography.

Individual evidence

↑ 'Hooked On A Feeling' Singer BJ Thomas Dies At 78
^ BJ Thomas. November 23, 2020, accessed May 30, 2021 .
↑ For more information on the title see: Bronson, Fred: The Billboard Book of Number One Hits . 3rd revised and expanded edition. New York City, New York: Billboard Publications, 1992, p. 266.
↑ ^a ^b ^c B. J. Thomas in the gold / platinum database of the RIAA (USA)
^ Singer BJ Thomas Reveals the Secret for His 52-Year Marriage: 'We Just Cherish Each Other'. In: closerweekly.com . February 26, 2021, accessed May 30, 2021 .
^ Billy Joe Thomas: From Then to Now . Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
↑ Bill Friskics-Warren: BJ Thomas, 'Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head 'Singer, Dies at 78 . In: The New York Times . May 30, 2021, ISSN 0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed May 30, 2021]).
↑ ^a ^b Chart sources: DE AT UK US
↑ ^a ^b US singles: Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2006. Billboard Books, New York 2007, ISBN 0-89820-172-1 . / US albums: The Billboard Albums by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .
↑ List of GMA Dove Awards winners , accessed March 9, 2019

Web links

BJ Thomas in the Internet Movie Database (English)
BJ Thomas at AllMusic (English)
BJ Thomas at Discogs
Interview (2000 )
Discography (Music VF)
Official Homepage (English)

personal data
SURNAME	Thomas, BJ
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Thomas, Billy Joe (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American pop and country singer
DATE OF BIRTH	August 7, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH	Hugo , Oklahoma, USA
DATE OF DEATH	May 29, 2021
PLACE OF DEATH	Arlington , Texas

[1] 'Hooked On A Feeling' Singer BJ Thomas Dies At 78

[2] BJ Thomas. November 23, 2020, accessed May 30, 2021 .

[3] For more information on the title see: Bronson, Fred: The Billboard Book of Number One Hits . 3rd revised and expanded edition. New York City, New York: Billboard Publications, 1992, p. 266.

[ausz-4] B. J. Thomas in the gold / platinum database of the RIAA (USA)

[5] Singer BJ Thomas Reveals the Secret for His 52-Year Marriage: 'We Just Cherish Each Other'. In: closerweekly.com . February 26, 2021, accessed May 30, 2021 .

[bio-6] Billy Joe Thomas: From Then to Now . Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2014.

[7] Bill Friskics-Warren: BJ Thomas, 'Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head 'Singer, Dies at 78 . In: The New York Times . May 30, 2021, ISSN 0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed May 30, 2021]).

[charts-8] Chart sources: DE AT UK US

[Billboard-9] US singles: Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2006. Billboard Books, New York 2007, ISBN 0-89820-172-1 . / US albums: The Billboard Albums by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .

[10] List of GMA Dove Awards winners , accessed March 9, 2019