BJ Thomas RIP

[P. Aaron]

BJ Thomas, singer of Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head, dies at 78

Just watching an era slide in to the past. Yeh, the clock ticks and it’s just life but, for many songs, especially ones like Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head, you remember where you were when you first heard it.

AM radio was still pretty good then but FM LP rock was just about to push all that adult contemporary music aside.

 

[bholder]

First time I remember hearing it was the bicycle scene in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

 

[JRA]

i had the pleasure of working with BJ --- in the early 90s, IIRC, and by that time he was mellow(er) and easy to work with --- he wanted to perform well and have some fun. my experience with him was that he was a 'good guy'.

i liked a lot of his other tunes/renditions better than the "raindrops" hit:
- another somebody done somebody wrong song
- rock and roll lullaby
- hooked on a feeling
- mama
- yada yada

he covered a lot of great tunes, too, i thought these were fun when i saw the videos:





R.I.P., dude.

 

[bobyoung53]

This was always my favorite by him, at least in part because of the loud, good sounding bass, but yeah he had a lot of good tunes:

B.J. Thomas and the Triumphs.

 

[bobyoung53]

AM radio was still pretty good then but FM LP rock was just about to push all that adult contemporary music aside.

OT but my local AM station was pretty good, it played a variety like most of them but a lot of rock, I remember when "underground' music started coming in, they had a little jingle: Worcester Town Underground' which they would play before Canned Heat's 'On the Road Again' and 'Going Up The Country' which were both played on that station in 1968, 'Let's Work Together' was also played a little later on.

 

[ElectroVibe]

Raindrops is unlike any other song I've heard.

RIP

 

[ElectroVibe]

At the end of the song in the last two lines he embellished the words: free, me
Then the horns kind of repeat the phrase he sang, as if they arranged them around his vocal.

Song was a huge hit, and was obviously an inspired performance during the recording. (Raindrops)

 

[P. Aaron]

OT but my local AM station was pretty good, it played a variety like most of them but a lot of rock, I remember when "underground' music started coming in, they had a little jingle: Worcester Town Underground' which they would play before Canned Heat's 'On the Road Again' and 'Going Up The Country' which were both played on that station in 1968, 'Let's Work Together' was also played a little later on.

I grew up with CKLW in Michigan, even though they broadcasted outta Canada. They were a 50,000 watt blowtorch where I heard everything from Hip Hug Her to Kick Out Th’ Jams to Herb Alpert, Ike & Tina Turner, and everything from New York to Muscle Shoals to California...all outta the same can. We had great AM radio and FM was pretty good until the LP format was bumped in the mid-late 70’s.

 

[The Owl]

One you rarely hear

 

[kobass]

RIP BJ.

 

[davidjbass]

RIP

 

[bolophonic]

I grew up with CKLW in Michigan, even though they broadcasted outta Canada. They were a 50,000 watt blowtorch where I heard everything from Hip Hug Her to Kick Out Th’ Jams to Herb Alpert, Ike & Tina Turner, and everything from New York to Muscle Shoals to California...all outta the same can. We had great AM radio and FM was pretty good until the LP format was bumped in the mid-late 70’s.

I grew up listening to CKLW all the way out in the sticks west of Ann Arbor. Detroit radio in the 70’s and 80’s helped me develop a great musical lexicon to build on.

 

[DrMole]

Had the cool experience of opening for him in the early/mid nineties. It was a great show and he was gracious to our band.
Wishing peace to BJ, his famly and friends.

 

[jmlee]

One of those great voices that was instantly recognizable. This one's a classic example. Take the goofy arrangement with sitar-guitar and cowbell out and listen to how remarkable the vocal is. Intonation and delivery are both smack-on. So sad when another great one slides off the planet.

[BTW, the Blue Swede recording of this one is probably more familiar these days due to the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack—with another goofy arrangment: Ooga-Chucka. Some songs seem to inspire goofiness.]

 

[Watchootognbout]

 

[jnewmark]

Great voice, great songs. RIP.

 

[jnewmark]

I grew up with CKLW in Michigan, even though they broadcasted outta Canada. They were a 50,000 watt blowtorch where I heard everything from Hip Hug Her to Kick Out Th’ Jams to Herb Alpert, Ike & Tina Turner, and everything from New York to Muscle Shoals to California...all outta the same can. We had great AM radio and FM was pretty good until the LP format was bumped in the mid-late 70’s.

Me, too. I sometimes think that CKLW had more to do with putting the Motown Sound out there than anything else.

 

[Bad Bob]

The combination of BJ Thomas and the Memphis Boys at American Studio was an all time classic. Those guys, including Tommy Cogbill and Reggie Young could make a good song great,
and BJ could make it a classic, e.g. Hooked on a Feeling, and Eyes of a New York Woman. BJ will be missed.

 

[P. Aaron]

I grew up listening to CKLW all the way out in the sticks west of Ann Arbor. Detroit radio in the 70’s and 80’s helped me develop a great musical lexicon to build on.

A Golden Age to be sure. IF, you’re still interested, FaceBook has a WABX and Detroit Rock Scene 60’s-70’s pages that will possibly jog yer memory for more music. I found it a terrific resource.

 

[bolophonic]

A Golden Age to be sure. IF, you’re still interested, FaceBook has a WABX and Detroit Rock Scene 60’s-70’s pages that will possibly jog yer memory for more music. I found it a terrific resource.

Thanks, I’ll check it out. I had a memory recently about a DJ called The Electrifying Mojo who turned my friends and I on to great hip hop in the early 80’s. We were trying to figure out how to breakdance on our own out in the country!