Sonny James, Country Hall of Famer & Steady Hitmaker, Dies at 87, Sonny James, the country accompanist accepted as "The Southern Gentleman," died Monday (Feb. 22) at age 87, according to his website.
James helped personify a lighter agreeable appearance of country in the mid 1950s, continuing his career through the aboriginal 1980s. He was aswell one of the aboriginal artists in the architecture to consistently see his annal cantankerous over to the pop charts. His band of 16 after No. 1 hits on Billboard's Hot Country Songs blueprint from 1967 through 1971 accustomed a success akin that went incomparable for abutting to two decades, allowance him to eventually accretion associates into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.
Born James Hugh Loden on May 1, 1929, in Hackleburg, Ala., the accompanist began assuming with his ancestors on a account radio appearance on WMSD-AM in Muscle Shoals. That acknowledgment led to paying gigs for the ancestors beyond the South, as able-bodied as added radio shows in Birmingham and Memphis. His able career took a abrupt detour if he was beatific to Korea as allotment of the Alabama Army National Guard in 1950, but he alternate to the States a year later.
Word of his aptitude had advance over the years to Nashville, and through the advancement of above acquaintance Chet Atkins, James was active to Capitol by Ken Nelson. The controlling was a fan of his voice, but anticipation that his endure name ability activation abashing with added musicians of the aeon and appropriate a name change to Sonny James.
"Short Cut," his aboriginal individual for the label, bootless to chart. But his green release, "That's Me Without You," begin favor with disc jockeys, peaking at No. 9 on the A lot of Played by Jockeys country blueprint (a antecedent to Hot Country Songs). The next few years were hit-and-miss, but in 1957, James addled gold with the boyhood canticle "Young Love." Entering assorted country archive about Christmas 1956, the song bound became his aboriginal No. 1 on a country songs chart, aswell topping the all-genre A lot of Played by Jockeys list. Follow-up releases included "You're the Reason I'm in Love" and the analogously themed "First Date, Aboriginal Kiss, Aboriginal Love," both top 10s on country surveys in 1957.
James connected to absolution singles for Capitol (as able-bodied as a abbreviate assignment with RCA) over the next few years, but it wouldn't be until the mid-1960s that he would acquisition a approved home on the airwaves. "You're the Alone World I Know" became his aboriginal No. 1 on Hot Country Songs (which had launched in 1958) in the winter months of 1965, and James bound began to battling Buck Owens as the better artisan on the Capitol roster.
In 1967, James registered his fourth Hot Country Songs No. 1 with "Need You." From that point through 1971's "Here Comes Honey Again," he would cleft 16 Hot Country Songs No. 1s in a row -- a mark that would angle until Alabama surpassed him in 1985. Many of his hits were covers of above pop songs of the day, including "Only the Lonely," "Running Bear" and "Take Good Care of Her."
After a two-decade run at Capitol, James was absorbed to Columbia by Clive Davis in 1972. His aboriginal absolution for the label, "When the Snow Is on the Roses," hit the top of Hot Country Songs, as did 1974's "Is It Wrong (For Loving You)." He would break on the agenda through 1979, absolution two of his a lot of allegorical albums for the label: 1976's 200 Years of Country Music and 1977's In Person, In Prison, recorded at the Tennessee State Prison in Nashville, with several of the prisoners arena the instruments themselves.
James appear his final Hot Country Songs charted single, "A Free Roamin' Mind," in the summer of 1983, which ailing at No. 58. A adherent ancestors man, he again retired from the spotlight, with alone a scattering of accessible appearances since. He angry up at Alabama's anniversary for breaking his after No. 1 band with "Forty Hour Week," and his 2006 consecration into the Country Music Hall of Fame alongside George Strait and Harold Bradley. James aswell served as the host of the first-ever CMA Awards in 1967 and produced Marie Osmond's 1973 song "Paper Roses," which hit No. 1 on Hot Country Songs and accomplished No. 5 on the Hot 100.
James helped personify a lighter agreeable appearance of country in the mid 1950s, continuing his career through the aboriginal 1980s. He was aswell one of the aboriginal artists in the architecture to consistently see his annal cantankerous over to the pop charts. His band of 16 after No. 1 hits on Billboard's Hot Country Songs blueprint from 1967 through 1971 accustomed a success akin that went incomparable for abutting to two decades, allowance him to eventually accretion associates into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.
Born James Hugh Loden on May 1, 1929, in Hackleburg, Ala., the accompanist began assuming with his ancestors on a account radio appearance on WMSD-AM in Muscle Shoals. That acknowledgment led to paying gigs for the ancestors beyond the South, as able-bodied as added radio shows in Birmingham and Memphis. His able career took a abrupt detour if he was beatific to Korea as allotment of the Alabama Army National Guard in 1950, but he alternate to the States a year later.
Word of his aptitude had advance over the years to Nashville, and through the advancement of above acquaintance Chet Atkins, James was active to Capitol by Ken Nelson. The controlling was a fan of his voice, but anticipation that his endure name ability activation abashing with added musicians of the aeon and appropriate a name change to Sonny James.
"Short Cut," his aboriginal individual for the label, bootless to chart. But his green release, "That's Me Without You," begin favor with disc jockeys, peaking at No. 9 on the A lot of Played by Jockeys country blueprint (a antecedent to Hot Country Songs). The next few years were hit-and-miss, but in 1957, James addled gold with the boyhood canticle "Young Love." Entering assorted country archive about Christmas 1956, the song bound became his aboriginal No. 1 on a country songs chart, aswell topping the all-genre A lot of Played by Jockeys list. Follow-up releases included "You're the Reason I'm in Love" and the analogously themed "First Date, Aboriginal Kiss, Aboriginal Love," both top 10s on country surveys in 1957.
James connected to absolution singles for Capitol (as able-bodied as a abbreviate assignment with RCA) over the next few years, but it wouldn't be until the mid-1960s that he would acquisition a approved home on the airwaves. "You're the Alone World I Know" became his aboriginal No. 1 on Hot Country Songs (which had launched in 1958) in the winter months of 1965, and James bound began to battling Buck Owens as the better artisan on the Capitol roster.
In 1967, James registered his fourth Hot Country Songs No. 1 with "Need You." From that point through 1971's "Here Comes Honey Again," he would cleft 16 Hot Country Songs No. 1s in a row -- a mark that would angle until Alabama surpassed him in 1985. Many of his hits were covers of above pop songs of the day, including "Only the Lonely," "Running Bear" and "Take Good Care of Her."
After a two-decade run at Capitol, James was absorbed to Columbia by Clive Davis in 1972. His aboriginal absolution for the label, "When the Snow Is on the Roses," hit the top of Hot Country Songs, as did 1974's "Is It Wrong (For Loving You)." He would break on the agenda through 1979, absolution two of his a lot of allegorical albums for the label: 1976's 200 Years of Country Music and 1977's In Person, In Prison, recorded at the Tennessee State Prison in Nashville, with several of the prisoners arena the instruments themselves.
James appear his final Hot Country Songs charted single, "A Free Roamin' Mind," in the summer of 1983, which ailing at No. 58. A adherent ancestors man, he again retired from the spotlight, with alone a scattering of accessible appearances since. He angry up at Alabama's anniversary for breaking his after No. 1 band with "Forty Hour Week," and his 2006 consecration into the Country Music Hall of Fame alongside George Strait and Harold Bradley. James aswell served as the host of the first-ever CMA Awards in 1967 and produced Marie Osmond's 1973 song "Paper Roses," which hit No. 1 on Hot Country Songs and accomplished No. 5 on the Hot 100.
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