Editing B. J. Thomas (section)

== Music career ==
===1960s–1970s===
In 1966, Thomas and the Triumphs released the album ''I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry'' (Pacemaker Records), featuring a hit [[cover version|cover]] version of the [[Hank Williams]] song "[[I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry]]". The single sold over one million copies and was awarded a [[Music recording certification#Certification thresholds|gold disc]].<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{Cite book |last=Murrells |first=Joseph |url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/213 |title=The Book of Golden Discs |publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd |year=1978 |isbn=0-214-20512-6 |edition=2nd |location=London |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/213 213, 250, 268 & 365] |url-access=registration}}</ref> The follow-up single, "[[Mama (B. J. Thomas song)|Mama]]", peaked at No. 22. In the same year, Thomas released a solo album of the same title on the [[Scepter Records]] label. Thomas achieved mainstream success again in 1968, with the song "The Eyes of a New York Woman". Five months later, the more successful single "[[Hooked on a Feeling (song)|Hooked on a Feeling]]" featured the sound of [[Reggie Young]]'s [[electric sitar]]; it was first released on the album ''[[On My Way (B.J. Thomas album)|On My Way]]'' via Scepter Records. "Hooked on a Feeling" became Thomas' second million-selling record.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs" /> 

A year later, ''[[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid]]'' featured Thomas performing the [[Burt Bacharach|Bacharach]]/[[Hal David|David]] song "[[Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head]]", which won the [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for best [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|original song]] that year. The song reached No. 1 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in January 1970. Its sales exceeded one million copies, with Thomas being awarded his third gold record.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs" /> The song was also released on an album of the same title. His other hits of the 1970s included: "Everybody's Out of Town", "[[I Just Can't Help Believing]]" (it reached No. 9 in 1970 and was covered by [[Elvis Presley]]), "No Love at All", "Mighty Clouds of Joy", and "[[Rock and Roll Lullaby]]".

{{quote box|quote="Thomas never turned rock and roller because he was, and is, a country singer. And like most, he does better with the real stuff—'No Love at All' comes close for a pop song and he broke with [[I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry|a Hank Williams cover]]—than with [[Burt Bacharach|Bacharach]]/[[Hal David|David]]."|source=— ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]'' (1981)<ref name="CG">{{Cite book |last=Christgau |first=Robert |title=[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]] |publisher=[[Ticknor and Fields]] |year=1981 |isbn=089919026X |chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: T |author-link=Robert Christgau |access-date=March 16, 2019 |chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=T&bk=70 |via=robertchristgau.com}}</ref>|width=23%|align=right|style=padding:8px;}}

After experiencing hits with [[Scepter Records]], his label for six years, Thomas left the label in 1972. He was with [[Paramount Records (1969)|Paramount Records]] from 1973 to 1974; during that time he released ''Songs'' (1973) and ''[[Longhorns & Londonbridges]]'' (1974). In 1975, Thomas released the album ''Reunion'' on [[ABC Records]], which had absorbed the Paramount label. It contained "[[(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song]]", which was the longest-titled No. 1 hit ever on the Hot 100. It was his first big hit since 1972 and secured him his fourth gold record.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs" /> According to the Arlington Historical Society, Thomas' music career from 1966 to 1977 was his heyday as a pop star.<ref name=thomasgospeltransition /> In 1976, Thomas released ''Home Where I Belong'', produced by [[Chris Christian]] on [[Myrrh Records]], the first of several gospel albums. It was the first [[Christian music|Christian]] album to go [[Music recording certification#Certification thresholds|platinum]], and Thomas became one of the biggest [[contemporary Christian music]]al artists of the period.<ref>Uncredited, [http://www.xentel.com/xentel/events/thomas.htm Profile of B.J. Thomas] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307101643/http://www.xentel.com/xentel/events/thomas.htm |date=March 7, 2016 }}; www.xentel.com.</ref> After his performance at Elvis Presley's 1977 memorial service, Thomas would continue to record and tour extensively, but primarily on the gospel circuit, with forays into the country music scene.<ref name=thomasgospeltransition>{{cite news|url=https://www.arlingtontxhistory.org/article-997.php|title=In Memoriam: B.J. Thomas (1942-2021)|publisher=Arlington Historical Society|date=August 2021|accessdate=February 4, 2025}}</ref> Thomas embraced his newfound faith, but sometimes clashed with fundamentalist Christian fans because he still performed his previous popular hits.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Silliman |first1=Daniel |title=Died: B.J. Thomas, Born-Again Singer Who Clashed with Evangelical Fans |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/june/bj-thomas-evangelical-conversion-born-again-jesus-rock-home.html |access-date=June 2, 2021 |agency=Christianity Today |date=June 1, 2021}}</ref>

On [[MCA Records]], Thomas and Chris Christian recorded his last Top 40 hit single, "[[Don't Worry Baby]]". It appeared on his last pop album, which also included the [[Adult contemporary music|adult contemporary]] hit "Still the Lovin' Is Fun".

===1980s–2010s===
During the 1980s, Thomas had little success on the pop charts, but some of his singles topped the country singles chart. Two of those songs included "[[Whatever Happened to Old-Fashioned Love]]" and "[[New Looks from an Old Lover]]" in 1983. Additionally, "[[Two Car Garage]]" reached No. 3 on the country charts. In 1981, on his 39th birthday, Thomas became the 60th member of the ''[[Grand Ole Opry]]''.<ref>Gary James, [http://www.classicbands.com/BJThomasInterview.html Interview with B.J. Thomas] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303191253/http://www.classicbands.com/BJThomasInterview.html |date=March 3, 2016 }}, 2005; www.classicbands.com.</ref> His Opry membership later lapsed, with the Opry classifying him as a non-regular "guest artist".<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 30, 2014 |title=B.J. Thomas |url=https://www.opry.com/artist/bj-thomas |access-date=May 13, 2019 |website=Grand Ole Opry}}</ref> He scored another hit, recording "[[Growing Pains#Theme song|As Long as We Got Each Other]]", the [[theme music|theme song]] for the television series ''[[Growing Pains]]''. The first-season theme was a solo for Thomas; it was re-recorded as a duet with [[Jennifer Warnes]] for the second and third seasons. For the show's fourth season, it was re-recorded with [[Music of the United Kingdom|British]] singer [[Dusty Springfield]], however the Thomas/Warnes version was used for season five and part of season seven. Thomas first released the track on his 1985 album ''Throwing Rocks at the Moon'' via [[Columbia Records]].[[File:B J Thomas Dec 2012.jpg|thumb|Thomas in December 2012]]

Thomas also wrote two books, including the autobiography ''Home Where I Belong'' and starred in the movies ''[[Jory (film)|Jory]]'' and ''[[Jake's Corner (film)|Jake's Corner]]''. Several commercial [[jingle]]s including ones for [[Coca-Cola]], [[Pepsi]] and [[Bell System|Bell Telephone]], have featured him singing and his music. On December 31, 2011, Thomas was the featured [[halftime show|halftime performer]] at the [[2011 Sun Bowl|2011 Hyundai Sun Bowl]] in [[El Paso, Texas]]. On April 2, 2013, he released ''The Living Room Sessions'', an album with acoustic arrangements of well-known hits. It featured guest appearances with established and emerging vocalists, accompanying Thomas on seven of the album's twelve tracks.<ref name="Living Room Sessions">{{Cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |year=2013 |title=B.J. Thomas The Living Room Sessions |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-living-room-sessions-mw0002486907 |access-date=December 3, 2013 |website=The Living Room Sessions |publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>

On December 3, 2013, the [[The Recording Academy|National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences]] announced that the 1969 single "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" by Thomas would be inducted into the 2014 [[Grammy Hall of Fame]].<ref name="2014 Grammy">{{Cite web |date=December 3, 2013 |title=2014 Grammy Hall of Fame |url=http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/press-release/the-recording-academy-announces-2014-grammy-hall-of-fame-inductees |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203213107/http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/press-release/the-recording-academy-announces-2014-grammy-hall-of-fame-inductees |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |access-date=December 3, 2013 |website=Raindrops Keep Fallin' on my Head |publisher=The Recording Academy}}</ref>