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B. J. Thomas
Billy Joe Thomas (August 7, 1942 – May 29, 2021) was an American singer widely known for his country, contemporary Christian, and pop hits of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
Popular songs by Thomas include "Hooked on a Feeling" (1968), "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (1969), "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" (1975), "Don't Worry Baby" (1977), and "Whatever Happened to Old-Fashioned Love" (1983).
In 2014, "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Billy Joe Thomas was born in Hugo, Oklahoma, on August 7, 1942. He was the son of Geneva and Vernon Thomas. Thomas grew up both in and near Houston; he graduated from Lamar Consolidated High School in Rosenberg, Texas.
He sang in a church choir in his teens and later joined the musical group The Triumphs with Tim Griffith (lead guitar), Tom Griffith (bass), Denver "Zeke" Zatyka (keyboards), Don Drachenberg (vocal and sax), and Ted Mensik (drums). During his senior year, Thomas 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.
In 1966, Thomas and the Triumphs released the album I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (Pacemaker Records), featuring a hit cover version of the Hank Williams song "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". The single sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. The follow-up single, "Mama", peaked at No. 22. In the same year, Thomas released a solo album of the same title on the Scepter Records label. Thomas achieved mainstream success again in 1968, with the song "The Eyes of a New York Woman". Five months later, the more successful single "Hooked on a Feeling" featured the sound of Reggie Young's electric sitar; it was first released on the album On My Way via Scepter Records. "Hooked on a Feeling" became Thomas' second million-selling record.
A year later, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid featured Thomas performing the Bacharach/David song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", which won the Academy Award for best original song that year. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1970. Its sales exceeded one million copies, with Thomas being awarded his third gold record. The song was also released on an album of the same title. His other hits of the 1970s included: "Everybody's Out of Town", "I Just Can't Help Believing" (it reached No. 9 in 1970 and was covered by Elvis Presley), "No Love at All", "Mighty Clouds of Joy", and "Rock and Roll Lullaby".
"Thomas never turned rock and roller because he was, and is, a country singer. And like most, he does better with the real stuff—'No Love at All' comes close for a pop song and he broke with a Hank Williams cover—than with Bacharach/David."
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B. J. Thomas
Billy Joe Thomas (August 7, 1942 – May 29, 2021) was an American singer widely known for his country, contemporary Christian, and pop hits of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
Popular songs by Thomas include "Hooked on a Feeling" (1968), "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (1969), "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" (1975), "Don't Worry Baby" (1977), and "Whatever Happened to Old-Fashioned Love" (1983).
In 2014, "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Billy Joe Thomas was born in Hugo, Oklahoma, on August 7, 1942. He was the son of Geneva and Vernon Thomas. Thomas grew up both in and near Houston; he graduated from Lamar Consolidated High School in Rosenberg, Texas.
He sang in a church choir in his teens and later joined the musical group The Triumphs with Tim Griffith (lead guitar), Tom Griffith (bass), Denver "Zeke" Zatyka (keyboards), Don Drachenberg (vocal and sax), and Ted Mensik (drums). During his senior year, Thomas 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.
In 1966, Thomas and the Triumphs released the album I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (Pacemaker Records), featuring a hit cover version of the Hank Williams song "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". The single sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. The follow-up single, "Mama", peaked at No. 22. In the same year, Thomas released a solo album of the same title on the Scepter Records label. Thomas achieved mainstream success again in 1968, with the song "The Eyes of a New York Woman". Five months later, the more successful single "Hooked on a Feeling" featured the sound of Reggie Young's electric sitar; it was first released on the album On My Way via Scepter Records. "Hooked on a Feeling" became Thomas' second million-selling record.
A year later, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid featured Thomas performing the Bacharach/David song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", which won the Academy Award for best original song that year. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1970. Its sales exceeded one million copies, with Thomas being awarded his third gold record. The song was also released on an album of the same title. His other hits of the 1970s included: "Everybody's Out of Town", "I Just Can't Help Believing" (it reached No. 9 in 1970 and was covered by Elvis Presley), "No Love at All", "Mighty Clouds of Joy", and "Rock and Roll Lullaby".
"Thomas never turned rock and roller because he was, and is, a country singer. And like most, he does better with the real stuff—'No Love at All' comes close for a pop song and he broke with a Hank Williams cover—than with Bacharach/David."
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