| B. J. Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Billy Joe Thomas |
| Born | August 7, 1942 Hugo, Oklahoma, United States |
| Genres | Country, pop, contemporary Christian |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Labels | Scepter, Myrrh, Columbia |
| Website | www.bjthomas.com |
Billy Joe "B. J." Thomas (born August 7, 1942, Hugo, Oklahoma) is an American popular singer known for his chart-topping hits in the 1960s and 1970s—appearing on the pop, adult contemporary, country and Hot 100 charts.
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Thomas was raised in and around Houston, Texas, graduating from Lamar Consolidated High School in Rosenberg. Before his solo career, Thomas sang in a church choir as a teenager then joined the musical group The Triumphs.[1] During his senior year he made friends with Roy Head of Roy Head and The Traits. The Traits and the Triumphs held several Battle of the Bands events in the early 1960s featuring Head and Thomas.
In 1966, B. J. Thomas and The Triumphs released the album, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (Pacemaker Records). The album featured a hit cover of the Hank Williams song, "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[2] In the same year, Thomas released a solo album of the same name (Scepter Records).
Thomas achieved mainstream success again in 1968, with the single "Hooked on a Feeling", which featured the sound of an electric sitar, first released on the album On My Way (Scepter Records). "Hooked on a Feeling" became Thomas's second million-selling record.[2] The 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid featured Thomas performing the Burt Bacharach/Hal David song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", which won the Academy Award for best original song that year, became the number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1970. Sales of this disc also exceeded one million copies, with Thomas being awarded his third gold record.[2] The song was also released on an album of the same name. Other hits of the 1970s were "Everybody's Out of Town", "I Just Can't Help Believing" (Billboard No. 9 in 1970, covered by Elvis Presley), "No Love At All", "Mighty Clouds of Joy", and "Rock and Roll Lullaby".
Thomas' earlier hits were with Scepter Records, with which he was associated for six years. He left Scepter Records in 1972 and spent a short period, in 1973 and 1974, with Paramount Records, during which time he released two albums, Songs (1973) and Longhorns & London Bridges (1974).
In 1975 Thomas released the album Reunion (ABC Records, which had absorbed the Paramount label), which contained "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" (the longest titled No. 1 hit ever on the Hot 100). It was Thomas' first big hit since 1970 and secured him his fourth gold record.[2] On ABC he also charted with "Songs" and "Don’t Worry Baby".
In 1976 Thomas released Home Where I Belong on Myrrh Records, the first of several gospel albums to be recorded by Thomas. The album went platinum, and Thomas became the biggest contemporary Christian artist of the period.[3]
During the 1980s, his success on the pop charts began to wane, but many of his singles reached the upper regions on the country singles charts, including two 1983 chart toppers, "Whatever Happened to Old-Fashioned Love" and "New Looks from an Old Lover" (see 1984 in music), as well as "Two Car Garage", which reached No. 3 on the country singles chart. In 1981, on his 39th birthday, Thomas became the 60th member of the Grand Ole Opry.[4]
Thomas scored another hit, recording "As Long As We Got Each Other," the theme to Growing Pains with Jennifer Warnes. A later version, used for the show's fourth season, was recorded with the British singer Dusty Springfield. Thomas first released this track on his 1985 album Throwing Rocks at the Moon (Columbia Records).
Thomas has also authored two books including the autobiography Home Where I Belong, and starred in the movie Jory. Several commercial jingles, to include Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Bell phone systems, have featured his singing voice and music.
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Country | CAN | |||
| 1966 | I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry | Scepter Records | |||
| Tomorrow Never Comes | |||||
| 1968 | On My Way | 133 | |||
| 1969 | Young and in Love | ||||
| Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head | 12 | 10 | |||
| 1970 | Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 | 90 | |||
| Everybody's Out of Town | 72 | 71 | |||
| Most of All | 67 | 44 | |||
| 1971 | Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 | 92 | |||
| 1972 | B. J. Thomas Country | 209 | |||
| Billy Joe Thomas | 145 | ||||
| Rock'n'Roll Lullaby | |||||
| 1973 | Songs | 221 | Paramount | ||
| 1974 | Longhorns & Londonbridges | ||||
| 1975 | Reunion | 59 | 2 | 40 | ABC |
| Help Me Make It (To My Rockin' Chair) | 26 | ||||
| 1977 | B. J. Thomas | 114 | 39 | MCA | |
| Home Where I Belong | Myrrh | ||||
| 1979 | Happy Man | ||||
| You Gave Me Love (When Nobody Gave Me a Prayer) | Word | ||||
| 1980 | The Best Of B.J. Thomas | Myrrh | |||
| In Concert | MCA | ||||
| 1981 | Amazing Grace | Word | |||
| Some Love Songs Never Die | MCA | ||||
| 1982 | Peace in the Valley | Word | |||
| 1983 | Love Shines | Epic | |||
| New Looks | 193 | 13 | Columbia | ||
| The Great American Dream | 27 | ||||
| 1984 | ShiningA | 40 | |||
| 1985 | Throwin' Rocks at the Moon | ||||
| You Gave Me Love | Myrrh | ||||
| 1986 | Night Life | Columbia | |||
| All Is Calm, All Is Bright | |||||
| 1987 | Hey Won't You Play Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song |
MCA | |||
| 1989 | Midnight Minute | Reprise | |||
| 1991 | As We Knew Him | MCA | |||
| Jesus Hearted People | |||||
| 1992 | Rock Against the Wall | Reprise | |||
| Rock & Roll Lullaby | Trace | ||||
| 1994 | Still Standing Here | Laurie | |||
| 1995 | Precious Memories | Warner Bros. | |||
| Scenes of Christmas | Cross Three | ||||
| 1996 | B. J. Thomas Sings Hank Williams and Other Favorites | Buckboard | |||
| 1997 | I Believe | Warner Bros. | |||
| Christmas Is Coming Home | Warner Resound | ||||
| 1998 | Sounds of Christmas | Kardina | |||
| 2000 | You Call That a Mountain | ||||
| 2005 | That Christmas Feeling | Madacy | |||
| 2006 | We Praise: Glorify Thy Name | Braun Media | |||
| We Praise: Just as I Am | |||||
| 2007 | Home for Christmas | Lifestyles | |||
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US AC | US | US Country | CAN AC | CAN | CAN Country | |||
| 1966 | "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" | — | 8 | — | — | 2 | — | I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry |
| "Mama" | — | 22 | — | — | 12 | - | ||
| "Billy and Sue" | — | 34 | — | — | 23 | - | Greatest Hits, Volume 1 | |
| "Bring Back the Time" | — | 75 | — | — | 53 | — | I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry | |
| "Tomorrow Never Comes" | — | 80 | — | — | 89 | — | Tomorrow Never Comes | |
| "Plain Jane" | — | 129 | — | — | — | - | Greatest Hits, Volume 1 | |
| 1967 | "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)" | — | 94 | — | — | — | - | Greatest Hits, Volume 1 |
| 1968 | "The Eyes of a New York Woman" | — | 28 | — | — | 29 | — | On My Way |
| "Hooked on a Feeling" | — | 5 | — | — | 3 | — | ||
| 1969 | "It's Only Love" | 37 | 45 | — | — | 24 | — | Young and in Love |
| "Pass the Apple Eve" | — | 97 | — | — | 78 | — | ||
| "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head | |
| 1970 | "Everybody's Out of Town" | 3 | 26 | — | — | 18 | — | Everybody's Out of Town |
| "I Just Can't Help Believing" | 1 | 9 | — | — | 18 | — | ||
| "Most of All" | 2 | 38 | — | 13 | 20 | — | Most of All | |
| 1971 | "No Love at All" | 4 | 16 | — | 12 | 16 | — | |
| "Mighty Clouds of Joy" | 8 | 34 | — | 25 | 26 | — | Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 | |
| "Long Ago Tomorrow" | 13 | 61 | — | — | 57 | — | ||
| 1972 | "Rock and Roll Lullaby" | 1 | 15 | — | 8 | 7 | — | Billy Joe Thomas |
| "That's What Friends Are For" | 38 | 74 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Happier Than the Morning Sun" | 31 | 100 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973 | "Songs" | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | Songs |
| 1975 | "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | Reunion |
| "Help Me Make It (To My Rockin' Chair)" | 5 | 64 | 37 | 9 | 67 | — | Help Me Make It (To My Rockin' Chair) | |
| 1977 | "Home Where I Belong" | — | — | 98 | — | — | — | Home Where I Belong |
| "Don't Worry Baby" | 2 | 17 | — | 1 | 12 | — | B. J. Thomas | |
| "Still the Lovin' Is Fun" | 8 | 77 | — | 13 | 86 | — | ||
| 1978 | "Everybody Loves a Rain Song" | 2 | 43 | 25 | 11 | 43 | 34 | Singles only |
| 1979 | "We Could Have Been the Closest of Friends" | — | — | 86 | — | — | — | |
| "God Bless the Children" | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980 | "Walkin' On a Cloud" | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1981 | "Some Love Songs Never Die" | 34 | — | 27 | — | — | — | Some Love Songs Never Die |
| "I Recall a Gypsy Woman" | — | — | 22 | — | — | 47 | ||
| 1982 | "But Love Me" | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | Single only |
| 1983 | "Whatever Happened to Old-Fashioned Love" | 13 | 93 | 1 | — | — | 1 | New Looks |
| "New Looks from an Old Lover" | — | — | 1 | — | — | 6 | ||
| "Two Car Garage" | 44 | — | 3 | — | — | 1 | The Great American Dream | |
| 1984 | "The Whole World's in Love When You're Lonely" | — | — | 10 | — | — | 15 | Shining |
| "The Girl Most Likely To" | — | — | 17 | — | — | 5 | ||
| 1985 | "The Part of Me That Needs You Most" | — | — | 61 | — | — | 57 | Throwin' Rocks at the Moon |
| 1986 | "America Is" | — | — | 62 | — | — | — | |
| "Night Life" | — | — | 59 | — | — | — | Night Life | |
| 1988 | "As Long As We Got Each Other" (with Dusty Springfield) | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | Midnight Minute |
| 1989 | "Don't Leave Me Love (Out There All Alone)" | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | Single only |
| 2000 | "You Call That a Mountain" | — | — | 66 | — | — | — | You Call That a Mountain |
| Year | Artist | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | ||||
| 1984 | "Rock and Roll Shoes" | Ray Charles | 14 | 15 | Friendship |