1 of 1- unclefester
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B.J. Thomas R.I.P.
Singer B.J. Thomas has died from stage 4 lung cancer at the age of 78
Thomas topped the charts with such notable songs as Hooked On A Feeling & Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head
A great talent with a long career
May he rest in peace
- It's me Karen
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Re: B.J. Thomas R.I.P.
BJ had a lot of good hits, I'll choose "I Just Can't Help Believing" as my fav.
RIP BJ
- Lorne
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Re: B.J. Thomas R.I.P.
Since B.J. Thomas was a Texas resident, I thought it might be worthwhile to find and post an obituary from there. He did so many songs that I really liked ... he had a truly special singing voice that was also very versatile.
- aflem
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Re: B.J. Thomas R.I.P.
A few weeks ago on one of the oldies shows, they played "Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head." They said Thomas was never happy with the song because his throat was a bit raw when he recorded it and he demanded to do it again. They let him, but used that first take anyway, since the producers liked it better.
In the end, it was a moot point - it was certainly his biggest hit.
My fave was Rock and Roll Lullaby, but I can't think of a song of his that I didn't like.
- Mark H.
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Re: B.J. Thomas R.I.P.
All his hit recordings were good. Faves are I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, The Eyes Of A New York Woman and Rock And Roll Lullabye.
- aflem
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Re: B.J. Thomas R.I.P.
His obit in Billboard includes his chart hits and where they ranked. (I'd forgotten about No Love At All and Everybody's Out Of Town, both great songs. But I don't see Mighty Clouds of Joy.)
B.J. Thomas' Biggest Billboard Hits
Rank, Title, Artist, Hot 100 Peak Position, Year
1. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," No. 1 (four weeks), 1970
2. "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song," No. 1 (one week), 1975
3. "Hooked on a Feeling," No. 5, 1969
4. "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (with The Triumphs), No. 8, 1966
5. "I Just Can't Help Believing," No. 9, 1970
6. "Don't Worry Baby," No. 17, 1977
7. "Rock and Roll Lullaby," No. 15, 1972
8. "No Love At All," No. 16, 1971
9. "The Eyes of a New York Woman," No. 28, 1968
10. "Everybody's Out of Town," No. 26, 1970
- Lorne
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Re: B.J. Thomas R.I.P.
Mighty Clouds Of Joy only reached #34 on Billboard. It did a bit better here in Toronto, reaching #16 on CHUM although only spending four weeks on the chart.
- Jim Southern
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Re: B.J. Thomas R.I.P.
I am a big fan of B.J.'s recordings and used several of them in karaoke adventures. I have to say that "Rock & Roll Lullaby" tops my list. He also appeared on some episodes of the "Country's Family Reunion" series and told some stories as well as singing some of his hits.
- It's me Karen
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Re: B.J. Thomas R.I.P.
He hosts a Time Life CD infomercial of 70s music.
- Little Rich
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Re: B.J. Thomas R.I.P.
aflem wrote:
His obit in Billboard includes his chart hits and where they ranked. (I'd forgotten about No Love At All and Everybody's Out Of Town, both great songs. But I don't see Mighty Clouds of Joy.)
B.J. Thomas' Biggest Billboard Hits
Rank, Title, Artist, Hot 100 Peak Position, Year
1. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," No. 1 (four weeks), 1970
2. "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song," No. 1 (one week), 1975
3. "Hooked on a Feeling," No. 5, 1969
4. "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (with The Triumphs), No. 8, 1966
5. "I Just Can't Help Believing," No. 9, 1970
6. "Don't Worry Baby," No. 17, 1977
7. "Rock and Roll Lullaby," No. 15, 1972
8. "No Love At All," No. 16, 1971
9. "The Eyes of a New York Woman," No. 28, 1968
10. "Everybody's Out of Town," No. 26, 1970
Either Billboard's stats are in error or Joel Whitburn's stats are in error. Thomas' #9 ranking song, Mama, peaked on the Billboard charts at #22 on 6/17/1966. It had been included as part of Thomas' debut album, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry. It peaked at #4 on the CFUN charts () and (according to Wikipedia) #12 on the Canadian(?!?!?) chart.
- Lorne
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Re: B.J. Thomas R.I.P.
Billboard's methodology is explained in the article as follows: "B.J. Thomas' Biggest Billboard Hits recap is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted to account for different chart turnover rates over various periods." To oversimplify somewhat, the songs at #9 and #10 probably had chart runs that were longer and accumulated more points in the process than Mama. Re Wikipedia's Canadian chart peak, it would be from the national chart that RPM magazine started publishing here in 1964.
- Little Rich
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Re: B.J. Thomas R.I.P.
Thanks Lorne. Personally, Mama wasn't at the top of my list, but it was ok.
Last edited by Little Rich (June 3, 2021 1:35 am)