B.J. Thomas Biography, Songs, & Albums |

B.J. Thomas is an American country music singer and songwriter who has recorded over 50 songs in his career, including the hit “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.”

B.J. Thomas is one of the most successful country singers in history, with more than 60 million records sold worldwide. He has won numerous awards and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, B.J. Thomas (born Billy Joe Thomas) straddled the line between pop/rock and country, finding success in both genres. He began his career with a focus on rock & roll, but by the mid-’70s, he had shifted his focus to country music, becoming one of the decade’s most successful country-pop stars.

Thomas started singing when he was a child, and he used to perform in church. He was a member of the Triumphs, a Houston-based band that released a number of independent singles that failed to gain traction. “Billy and Sue,” written by Thomas and fellow Triumph member Mark Charron for the group’s final single, was another flop. Following “Billy and Sue,” Thomas embarked on a solo career, working with producer Huey P. Meaux on a cover of Hank Williams’ standard “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” The single was released by Scepter Records in early 1966 and became an instant hit, reaching number eight on the pop charts. Despite a string of moderate follow-up hits, including a re-release of “Billy and Sue,” Thomas did not return to the Top Ten until 1968, when “Hooked on a Feeling” became a gold single at number five. Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” from the hit film Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, gave him his biggest hit the following year. In the following two years, it was followed by a string of soft rock hits, including “Everybody’s Out of Town,” “I Just Can’t Help Believing,” “No Love at All,” and “Rock and Roll Lullaby,” which featured guitarist Duane Eddy and the Blossoms.

Scepter Records went out of business after “Rock and Roll Lullaby,” and Thomas moved to Paramount. He didn’t have any hits on the label, so the singer moved to ABC Records to pursue a new country-pop direction. His first single for ABC, “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song,” became his second number one pop hit and launched his country vocal career. He continued to have hits on the country charts for the next decade, with a couple of songs, most notably “Don’t Worry Baby,” crossing over to the pop charts. He moved record labels a lot during this time, but it didn’t seem to slow down the pace of his hits. In 1983 and 1984, Thomas had number one hits with “Whatever Happened to Old Fashioned Love” and “New Looks from an Old Lover,” as well as Top Ten hits with “The Whole World Is in Love When You’re Lonely” and “Two Car Garage.” B.J. Thomas recorded a number of hit gospel records for Myrrh in the 1980s alongside his country hits, but his most well-known song was “As Long as We Got Each Other,” the theme song for the sitcom Growing Pains.

The hits stopped coming at the end of the 1980s, but he continued to tour and release the occasional country or gospel album in the 1990s. He primarily focused on Christmas and Christian recordings in the new millennium, but he returned in 2013 with The Living Room Sessions, his first secular album in years. This was a stripped-down compilation of versions of his previous songs, including duets with artists like Lyle Lovett, Vince Gill, and Keb’ Mo’; it debuted at number 39 on the Billboard country charts. Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 2013. New Looks from an Old Lover: The Complete Columbia Singles, the first comprehensive overview of his 1980s recordings, was released in 2017 by Real Gone Music. B.J. Thomas died of lung cancer complications on May 29, 2024, at his home in Arlington, Texas. He was 78 years old at the time.

B.J. Thomas was a singer and songwriter who had many hits in the late 1960s and 1970’s. His songs include Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head, Hooked on a Feeling, and I Just Want to Celebrate. He died of cancer in 2010 at age 73. Reference: b.j. thomas cause of death.

Frequently Asked Questions

What songs was BJ Thomas known for?

BJ Thomas is known for his song Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head which was released in 1969.

Was the singer BJ Thomas in the military?

Yes.

What was BJ Thomass first song?

His first song was I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston.

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