B.J. Thomas's humble beginnings began when his grandmother delivered him at her home in Hugo, OK August 7, 1942. The Thomas family lived around the Houston, TX area for most of B.J.'s upbringing. Although given the name Billy Joe Thomas, he was to become known to the world as B.J. Thomas when, as a young boy, his baseball coach took to calling him B.J. because there seemed to be an over abundance of Billys on the team.
From an early age, B.J. loved music. His father, Vernon Thomas, was a big country music fan and B.J. naturally loved it too. He was not close to his father but was always trying to do something to please him. That is fortunate for B.J. because when he went to cut his first album with The Triumphs (a local Houston band that he joined in high school as their lead singer) his father told him "not to come home without something country on that album". B.J. took it to heart and recorded "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", the Hank Williams classic. "Lonesome" was recorded at 5:00 am after an all-night recording session and was destined to become B.J.'s first million seller! B.J. had finally done something for his father that he would appreciate.
He states that he was influenced by Bobby "Blue" Bland, the great blues artist, and that as a teenager, he would sneak into night clubs to hear him sing. That is funny to me because at the age of sixteen that is exactly what I did.....I had to sneak into a nightclub in Biloxi, MS to see B.J. perform! B.J. loves R&B music and loves to perform that as well, although he hardly ever does much of it (something that this fan would love to hear him perform more of!). Ernest Tubb, who was to become a good friend, Jackie Wilson, Little Richard and Elvis all had an influence on the music B.J. loved to listen to and later perform.
B.J. had to be talked into auditioning for The Triumphs Band by his older brother, Jerry. He has always been a little on the shy side and he was scared to death when he first started singing publicly. Although B.J. has been singing now for forty years, I still see a little of that shyness come thru every now and then.
This performer has so much versatility that he easily performs rock 'n roll, country, pop, R&B and gospel with the greatest of ease. Incredibly, he has had 15 Top 40 Pop Hits, 10 Top 40 Country Hits, 5 Grammys for Gospel and 2 Dove and Angel Awards for Gospel, easily making B.J. Thomas one of the most recognizable voices ever on the music scene. His distinctive vocal style has only gotten better with age.
The songs that B.J. Thomas has always chosen to sing are true classics and have stood the passage of time. Whatever the song being sung, B.J. gives it everything he has to offer and has said that he hopes it comes across that way to his fans. "I'll be honest with you," B.J. says, "when I do music, I do so with everything I can give to it. And I'm sure I always will." His music has always been what I consider "Real Music", nothing profane or with the slightest vulgarity, and with lyrics that deliver a positive message to the listener. He has lifted this fan's spirits many, many times when I was feeling down or going thru a difficult time. I've always been able to find a B.J. Thomas song that had just the right message for the particular time I was going thru and I would feel better after listening to his message in song.
If it has been awhile since you have had the pleasure of hearing this legendary singer perform, you should consider catching one of his concerts and perhaps purchasing one of his new cds for your listening pleasure. For his touring schedule, you can check the Official B.J. Thomas Website http://members.aol.com/Sing4usBJT/BJThomas.html .
I am so happy that I have been afforded the opportunity to attend many B.J. Thomas concerts over the years and greet him after the shows with the other fans. That is one thing that can be said about him...he takes time for his fans and is so appreciative of them and down-to earth making each one of them feel special in his eyes. B.J. Thomas truly is "A Legend In His Own Time".