B.J. Thomas: The Voice

Think of the leading artists from the 60’s and 70’s—and you’ll no doubt think of the Beatles, Elvis, The Rolling Stones—and perhaps dozens of other performers whose music defined the era—and left a lasting impression.

One guy who gets overlooked (in my view) is B.J. Thomas. His distinctive voice and mega-hits are still standing the test of time, but, like Rodney Dangerfield, he doesn’t get any respect.

It was on this date in 1975 that his song “(Hey Won’t You Play)Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song” hit #1 on the chart, the 4th single to do so. I think his voice and the strength of many of the melodies hold up today.

Born in Oklahoma and raised in Texas, B.J. Thomas first got noticed when his cover of the Hank Williams song “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” sold a million copies. A solo contract followed and the hits just kept on comin’

Perhaps the biggest #1 song was from the movie “Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid” starring Robert Redford—the Burt Bacharach song “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” in 1970—here’s a video of B.J. performing that song:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIqxnYZZNB8&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=MLGxdCwVVULXeEdcebYS4hNlptm3SKDRwg


Of course, there was “Hooked On A Feeling” two years earlier, another smash:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNnnWfUpYGg


There was , “I Just Can’t Help Believin’”, “Rock And Roll Lullaby” and “The Eyes Of A New York Woman”, just to name a few.

He’s still around, but I’m not sure if he is still performing. His last single release was eleven years ago. It’s true that he didn’t pen many of his huge hits, but he deserves his due as one of the best pop singers of the 60’s and 70’s!

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