B. J. Thomas
Billy Joe Thomas[1] (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.
B. J. Thomas
Billy Joe Thomas
August 7, 1942
Hugo, Oklahoma, U.S.
May 29, 2021 (aged 78)
Arlington, Texas, U.S.
Singer
Vocals
1966–2021
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),[2] "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.
Early life and education[edit]
Thomas was born in Hugo, Oklahoma, on August 7, 1942. He was the son of Geneva and Vernon Thomas.[3][4] Thomas grew up in and around Houston, Texas, and graduated from Lamar Consolidated High School in Rosenberg. Before his solo career, he sang in a church choir as a teenager.
Thomas later joined the musical group The Triumphs[5] 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, 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.[6]
Music career[edit]
1960s–1970s[edit]
In 1966, Thomas and the Triumphs released the album I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (Pacemaker Records), featuring a hit cover 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.[7] 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, and was first released on the album On My Way via Scepter Records. "Hooked on a Feeling" became Thomas' second million-selling record.[7] 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 also exceeded one million copies, with Thomas being awarded his third gold record.[7] 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" (reached No. 9 in 1970 and was covered by Elvis Presley), "No Love at All", "Mighty Clouds of Joy" and "Rock and Roll Lullaby".
Personal life and death[edit]
Thomas married singer-songwriter Gloria Richardson in December 1968.[15][16] They had three daughters: Paige (b. 1970), Nora (adopted from North Korea in 1978) and Erin (b. 1979).[17]
Shortly after his career began, Thomas became dependent on drugs and alcohol, which led to his marriage nearly ending. On January 28, 1976, Thomas became a Christian,[18] less than a month after Gloria did. Most press sources indicated that Thomas had been sober since he and Gloria reconciled in 1976.[16][19][20][21]
On March 23, 2021, Thomas announced on his official Facebook page that he had stage IV lung cancer and was being treated in Texas.[22] He died on May 29 at his home in Arlington, Texas, at the age of 78.[3][23]