Insights into … B.J. Thomas
[26 Billboard Hot 100 singles, 1966–83; three
certified RIAA gold]
Billboard
magazine has ranked B.J. Thomas among the 50 most-played recording artists of
the past 50 years. Over the course of his career, he has received five Grammy
Awards, including the first four platinum albums ever awarded in the gospel
music category. Although country and gospel music influenced Thomas’ musical
development, the energy and emotion that he injects into his recordings and
live performances germinated from his passion for rhythm and blues during his
adolescent years.
Blessed with
a warm honey-toned voice, B.J. Thomas first rose to the national pop music
stage in early 1966 as the lead singer of the Houston-area band the Triumphs by
resurrecting “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” a mournful Hank Williams
composition that predated the emergence of rock and roll. Although his birth
name was Billy Joe Thomas, he opted for the initials “B.J.” as his performing
name after his friend Billy Joe Royal attained success with “Down in the
Boondocks” in the summer of 1965. During a prolific recording and performing
career that spanned more than five decades, 26 singles that B.J. Thomas
recorded registered on the Billboard Hot 100, along with 16 country music hits,
25 on the Easy Listening chart and 11 singles on the Spiritual Albums chart. He
charted for five labels: Scepter, Hickory, ABC, MCA and Cleveland
International. He has recorded 54 pop, Christian, and Christmas music albums,
and a dozen B.J. Thomas anthology albums have been released.
The artistry
of B.J. Thomas has been recognized with numerous awards and certifications,
including three gold singles and one gold album award from the Recording
Industry Association of America (RIAA); his five Grammy Awards from the
Recording Academy; two Gospel Music Association Dove Awards; two Angel Awards
from Excellence in Media; and membership in the Grand Ole Opry beginning in
August 1981.
RIAA presented singer B.J. Thomas with his first gold
record award on February 24, 1969, for “Hooked On a Feeling,” which began its
rise to popularity in mid-November 1968. The song was a product of B.J.’s
collaboration with recording engineer and producer Lincoln “Chips” Moman, owner
of Memphis-based American Sound Studio, where the Box Tops, Merrilee Rush, Joe
Tex, Wilson Pickett, the Gentrys and other performers recorded.
B.J.’s signature recording of “Raindrops Keep Fallin’
on My Head,” featured in the motion picture Butch Cassidy and the Sundance
Kid, replaced Diana Ross and the Supremes’ “Someday We’ll Be Together” on
January 3, 1970, as the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The
shower of popularity for “Raindrops” kept it floating atop the chart in the No.
1 spot for four consecutive weeks. “Raindrops” also hit No. 1 on the Easy
Listening chart, remained on the Hot 100 for a 22-week run — more than five
months — and went on to earn an RIAA gold record.
The country-pop crossover smash hit “(Hey Won’t You
Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song” earned an RIAA gold record for
B.J. on May 23, 1975. The award recognized $1 million in audited sales. “Chips”
Moman had co-written the song with composer and pianist Larry Butler; the release
earned them a Grammy Award in 1976 for “Best Country Song.” The recording was a
triple bell-ringer on the U.S. music charts, hitting No. 1 in the pop, country
and adult contemporary markets. In Canada, it was No. 1 on the AC chart, No. 2
country, and No. 3 on the pop chart. It remained on the Billboard Hot 100 for
18 weeks, from February 1 until early summer.
B.J. Thomas died May 29, 2021, at his home in
Arlington, Texas, at age 78. He had announced only two months earlier, on March
23, that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, for which he underwent
treatment.
B.J.’s reflections on his musical roots
“[As a teenager] I loved Bobby Bland, Jackie Wilson,
Little Junior Parker, Ray Charles and those guys. Of course, Elvis had real
country overtones that I didn’t really recognize, but he sang in a blues and
rockabilly kind of way. It was a great time for music, with Hank Ballard, the
Drifters, and Chuck Berry. To me it was incredible what Chuck Berry and Little
Richard were doing at that time, and I loved those guys. I totally was a rhythm
and blues guy.”
About recording in Memphis at Chips Moman’s studio
“The American Studio group should be in the Hall of
Fame because they’ve recorded so many hit records. The first time I sang with
them, it was like they were my band and I was their singer. They were just real
down-home guys. We fit together perfectly, and Chips was a great engineer and
one of the greatest producers of all time — he went on to produce ‘Suspicious
Minds,’ ‘Don’t Cry Daddy,’ ‘Kentucky Rain,’ ‘In The Ghetto’ — all those
comeback songs for Elvis beginning in 1969.”
The songs about which B.J. was most proud
"I’m as proud of ‘Everybody’s Out Of Town’ as I
am ‘Raindrops’ because it was unique and it made a good statement: if we keep
doing what we’re doing, nobody’s going to be in town. It had a nuclear
devastation suggestion. It was a very futuristic, advanced, a very intelligent
song, and I always appreciated getting to do it.”
B.J.’s view on performing during his later years
“As I age, I have to treat my voice right. I have to
get as much rest as I can, I have to eat healthy, so it takes some effort on my
part. I do put some time into trying to keep my vocal ability going,” explained
B.J. “That’s why I like to work, because it keeps me in touch with the music.
When you step away from the music and stop working, you kind of lose your feel
for it. Right now, a big part of my life is keeping that ability to sing going,
because I like to do it.”
The narrative and quotations in this article are excerpted from the book Where Have All the Pop Stars Gone? — Volume 3, by Marti Smiley Childs and Jeff March. This material is copyrighted © 2016 by EditPros LLC and may not be reproduced or redistributed without written permission. You can order your copy here: https://www.editpros.com/WHATPSG_Vol_3.html
The piece that Jeff and Marti wrote on B.J. Thomas is one of the most moving pieces I've ever read ... this just may be my favorite interview subject of all time (and that's saying a lot because their "Where Have All The Pop Stars Gone" book series is really just one home run after another.) HIGHLY recommended. (kk)
THE B.J. THOMAS HIT LIST
As Jeff and Marti mentioned, B.J. Thomas enjoyed success on the Pop Charts, the Country Charts and the Easy Listening / Adult Contemporary Charts.
Here is a list of ALL of B.J.'s Top 40 Hits, showing how they fared on all three Billboard Charts in the '60's, '70's and '80's. (kk)
1966 - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (#8 Pop / #xx Adult / #xx Country)
*released as by B.J. Thomas and the Triumphs
1966 - Mama (#22 Pop / #xx Adult / #xx Country)
1966 - Billy And Sue (#34 Pop / #xx Adult / #xx Country)
*released as by B.J. Thomas and the Triumphs
1968 - The Eyes Of A New York Woman (#28 Pop / #xx Adult / #xx Country)
1969 - Hooked On A Feeling (#5 Pop / #xx Adult / #xx Country)
1969 - It's Only Love (#45 Pop / #37 Adult / #xx Country)
1970 - Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head (#1 Pop / #1 Adult / #xx Country)
1970 - Everybody's Out Of Town (#26 Pop / #3 Adult / #xx Country)
1970 - I Just Can't Help Believing (#9 Pop / #1 Adult / #xx Country)
1971 - Most Of All (#38 Pop / #2 Adult / #xx Country)
1971 - No Love At All (#16 Pop / #4 Adult / #xx Country)
1971 - Mighty Clouds Of Joy (#34 Pop / #8 Adult / #xx Country)
1971 - Long Ago Tomorrow (#61 Pop / #13 Adult / #xx Country)
1972 - Rock And Roll Lullaby (#15 Pop / #1 Adult / #xx Country)
1972 - That's What Friends Are For (#74 Pop / #38 Adult / #xx Country)
1972 - Happier Than The Morning Sun (#100 Pop / #31 Adult / #xx Country)
***INCREDIBLY, NONE of B.J. THOMAS' EARLIER SONGS EVER CROSSED OVER TO BILLBOARD'S COUNTRY CHART ... NOT EVEN "I'M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY," which SHOULD have been a HUGE Country Hit (kk)
1975 - Hey, Won't You Play Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song (#1 Pop / #1 Adult / #1 Country)
1975 - Help Me Make It To My Rockin' Chair (#64 Pop / #5 Adult / #37 Country)
1977 - Don't Worry Baby (#17 Pop / #2 Adult / #xx Country)
1977 - Still The Lovin' Is Fun (#77 Pop / #8 Adult / #xx Country)
1978 - Everybody Loves A Rain Song (#43 Pop / #2 Adult / #25 Country)
1980 - God Bless The Children (#xx Pop / #38 Adult / #xx Country)
1980 - Walkin' On A Cloud (#xx Pop / #30 Adult / #xx Country)
1981 - Some Love Songs Never Die (#xx Pop / #34 Adult / #27 Country)
1981 - I Recall A Gypsy Woman (#xx Pop / # Adult / #22 Country)
1982 - But Love Me (#xx Pop / #27 Adult / #xx Country)
1983 - Whatever Happened To Old Fashioned Love (#93 Pop / #13 Adult / #1 Country) * - this one should have been a huge pop smash! (kk)
1983 - New Looks From An Old Lover (#xx Pop / #xx Adult / #1 Country)
1984 - Two Car Garage (#xx Pop / #44 Adult / #3 Country)
1984 - The Whole World's In Love When You're Lonely (#xx Pop / # Adult / #10 Country)
1984 - Rock And Roll Shoes (by Ray Charles and B.J. Thomas) #xx Pop / #xx Adult / #14 Country
1985 - The Girl Most Likely To (#xx Pop / #xx Adult / #17 Country)
1989- As Long As We Got Each Other (theme from "Growing Pains") with Steve Dorff and Dusty Springfield (#xx Pop / #7 Adult / #xx Country)
1989 - Don't Leave Love Out There All Alone (#xx Pop / #39 Adult / #xx Country)
