1 with pop, adult contemporary and country listeners in 1976 with ″(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song." The same year, his "Home Where I Belong" became one of the first gospel albums to be certified platinum for selling more than 1 million copies. Thomas, who announced in March that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer, died from complications of the disease Saturday at his home in Arlington, Texas, a statement released by his representatives said.Ī Hugo, Oklahoma-native who grew up in Houston, Billy Joe Thomas broke through in 1966 with a gospel-styled cover of Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and went on to sell millions of records and have dozens of hits across genres. Thomas, the Grammy-winning singer who enjoyed success on the pop, country and gospel charts with such hits as "I Just Can't Help Believing," "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" and "Hooked on a Feeling," has died. Brad Henry, left, presented Thomas with a proclamation at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City.ī.J. I actually didn’t change what I did stylistically at all.B.J. “Burned like a Rocket’ was something like I would have cut back in the 1960s,” he said. Some stated that Royal had “gone Country,” but the singer said he really didn’t feel as if his music had changed at all. I was on Atlantic Records, and they were really behind me, as was everyone at radio.
“Nelson was such a great producer, and we had great musicians. The singer credited great songs – and his producer for his career renaissance. Royal’s 1987 album The Royal Treatment earned him a Gold certification, as well.
His next fourteen single releases hit the country charts, with the biggest being his cover of “Tell It Like It Is,” which hit No. “By that time, it was in the top ten, so the song really led to a great period for me.” For some reason, it didn’t dawn on me that it would affect my record, but radio dropped it like a hot potato.” But, it wasn’t the end of his country career. “I remember that I was in (producer) Nelson Larkin’s office watching TV, and we saw the shuttle go down. Then, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, and due to the title of the song, the release began to fall quickly back down the chart. The track was rapidly climbing the country singles chart, and had just entered the top ten in January 1986. His first release for the label, “Burned like a Rocket,” was sent to radio in the latter part of 1985.
However, it was another five years until Royal tasted career success again, signing with Atlantic Records in Nashville. Royal would leave Columbia for stints on smaller labels in the 1970s, eventually landing on Mercury Records, for whom he released a self-titled album in 1980. The singer’s subsequent hits included “I Knew You When” and “Cherry Hill Park,” which became his final Top-40 on the pop charts in 1969. It was an amazing feeling, and led to a great career.” “I was living in Cincinnati, Ohio at the time, and a radio friend of mine named Dusty Rhodes played the record. In a 2010 interview, Royal recalled the first time he heard the song on the radio. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the Joe South composition helped him to become a star. Royal’s career path took him to Columbia Records, where he released “Down in the Boondocks” in 1965. Roy Orbison’s Top Hot 100 Hits: A Playlist Linda Lewis, British Singer Who Landed a Global Hit With 'It's In His Kiss,' Dies at 72
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