B. J. (Billy Joe) Thomas (born August 7, 1942) in Hugo, Oklahoma
He started life in Oklahoma and moved to Texas at the age of 2 weeks. Within a
few years, Thomas developed a taste for country and R&B. Later, he was
the lead singer for a popular Texas band known as the Triumphs.
Billy Joe Thomas, nick-named BJ by his baseball coach at age 10, was born in
Hugo, Oklahoma, and grew up in Houston, Texas. He moved with his family to
Rosenberg, Texas at age 15 and was a "charming, energetic cut-up",
according to his friends. BJ was a member of his high school and church
choirs. As a teenager, he developed a passion for R&B. As his passion grew,
he began sneaking into nightclubs to hear blues legend Bobby "Blue" Bland.
At the age of 15, BJ joined a local Houston rock band, the Triumphs.
Early influences range from Ernest Tubb to Jackie Wilson and
Little Richard.
BJ made his biggest local splash as lead singer for the Triumphs, a six-
piece rock and roll band that started out playing at dances and a Saturday
morning radio show. The Triumphs became one of the biggest acts in Texas,
opening at the Houston Coliseum for headliners like Roy Orbison, the Dave
Clark Five and the Four Tops.
By 1965, the group recorded "I'm So Lonesome I could Cry'' and Thomas'
career began to move forward.
The Triumphs' first album was recorded in Beaumont. They released several
well-received local singles. In 1965 the band went into the studio to
record an album of vintage rock and roll. They needed one song to finish
the project. BJ recalled his father had told him, "Don't come back unless
you record something country". With that in mind, BJ suggested Hank
Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". It was recorded at 5 a.m. after an
all night session.
Reflecting on his childhood, BJ recalls a major turning point in his
life. "I remember seeing Hank Williams with my father," he says. "He was
unbelievable that night. He came out on stage and he was feeling good. I
remember him getting on his knees and playing the guitar. I'll never
forget the look on my daddy's face at that show. I guess that's the night I
decided I was going to communicate with my daddy through the music he
loved. It was the only way I could communicate with him."
The Triumphs took the new album to Houston DJs who picked up on "I'm So
Lonesome I Could Cry" and made it a regional hit. The record's producer
leased the master tape of the single to New York's Scepter Records, who had
access to such acts as the Shirelles and the Isley Brothers. The album
went to number four on the national pop charts and sold more than a million
copies - several other bands had already attempted to cover the
song, but were unsuccessful.
By 1968, he had recorded four gold records. The first three hits were "The
Eyes Of a New York Woman," "Hooked on a Feeling" and "It's Only Love".
Followed by "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head". Labelmate Dionne Warwick,
who'd been working with the Burt Bacharach/Hal David songwriting team,
recommended BJ for "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head" which was written
for the motion picture Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid.
"I was in the right place at the right time," BJ says, "and I probably got
their best song ever." "Raindrops" was Bacharach/David's first million-
selling song. The same year BJ sang the song on the Academy Awards
telecast, "Raindrops" was named Song of the Year. 1999 marked the 30-year
anniversary of "Raindrops".
In 1976, he released the first of several gospel albums, "Home Where I
Belong," which went platinum, making him the biggest contemporary Christian
artist of the period. Over the next several years, he received
two Dove awards. However, gospel fans reacted negatively when BJ sang his
older pop hits at Christian-focused concerts.
Moving back to country music, BJ hit the Top 40 ten times with hits
like "What Ever Happened To Old Fashioned Love," "New Looks From an Old
Lover" (which wife Gloria wrote with Red Lane), and "The Whole World's in Love
When You're Lonely."
His country success led him to become the 60th member of the Grand Ole Opry.
B.J. Thomas has released over 100 albums and produced 15 top 40 hits and 10 top 40
country hits. He has five Grammy and two Dove awards, and has earned two
platinum and 11 gold records.
With over 70 million records sold, BJ's vocal versatility is as apparent
now on his new albums, as it was when he recorded
his first hit in 1966.
Since the mid-1960s, BJ Thomas has become one of the most recognized and
respected voices of the American musical landscape. He has impacted many
areas of music,popular, easy listening, country and gospel music.
"As a singer," he says, "I have the chance to lift the spirits of the
audience and make them feel good, at least for the evening."
It's an attitude people have noticed. Fans frequently approach BJ to thank
him for the impact of his songs ranging from the mega hit "Raindrops Keep
Fallin' On My Head" to country smashes like "New Looks From An Old Lover."
BJ's music is testimony to the fact he is a survivor. He has overcome
personal adversity and addiction as well as weathered professional storms
to emerge musically stronger than ever. B.J. still travels and does over 100 shows a year much to the delight of his fans
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I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
Words & Music by Hank Williams
Recorded by Hank Williams, 1949
Also recorded by B.J. Thomas, 1966 (#8)
C C/B Am7 Am7/G
Hear that lonesome whippoorwill;
C Em Gm7 C7
He sounds too blue to fly..
F Fm C Am
The midnight train is whining low
G C G7 C G Am7 G/B
I'm so lonesome I could cry.
I've never seen a night so long,
When time goes crawling by;
The moon just went behind a cloud;
I'm so lonesome I could cry.
Did you ever see a Robin weep
When leaves begin to die?
That means he's lost the will to live;
I'm so lonesome I could cry.
The silence of a falling star
Lights up a purple sky;
And as I wonder where you are,
I'm so lonesome I could cry.
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