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B.J. Thomas

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

B.J. Thomas, in full Billy Joe Thomas, was an American singer who became known with country, pop and Christian music. He was born in 1942 in Hugo, Oklahoma, grew up near Houston and sang in a church choir as a teenager. After that he became the singer of The Triumphs. In 1966 the album I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry appeared, with a cover of the Hank Williams song, which sold more than a million copies and earned a gold record.

Music and breakthrough

His breakthrough in pop came in 1968 with Hooked on a Feeling. In 1969 he sang in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid the song Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It won an Oscar for best film song and in January 1970 reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100. In 1972 he left Scepter Records. In 1975 he had another number one with (Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song, the song with the longest title ever to reach that position. His last hit in the American top forty was Don't Worry Baby from 1977. In 2014 Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. He died in 2021.

Influence

Thomas had a warm, relaxed voice that suited light, melodic pop and country. His work shows how pop of the 1960s and 1970s with a Bacharach melody could go together with a soft southern tone.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head. Notice how light and almost casual Thomas sings, above a melody that skips along cheerfully.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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See also

Categories: Artists